Life Goes On
by Shockra
Summary: Abby King is home for the first time in years, only to find out a couple weeks later that her brother has been shot. After arriving back in her home town, things go wrong. A Daryl/OC pairing. Part one in the Life Goes On Trilogy.
1. Chapter 1

Hey all! I hope you enjoy my story! Its an AU but loosely follows the events of the series. In the first couple chapters it will follow more closely but as it goes on, it'll stray further away from the series. Anyways, read away!

Disclaimer: I don't own the walking dead

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Abigail King rushed from the guest room, her and her husband had been staying in, to the master bedroom where her sister in law hurriedly packed clothes and photo albums into a suit case as tears silently trailed down her cheek.

"Are you ready, Lori?" Abby asked softly as she dashed her own tears away.

Only a few minutes earlier, Abby's brother's partner came banging on their door. Told them that Rick was dead and they had to pack up immediately because something really bad was happening and everyone was being evacuated.

Lori cleared her throat as she zipped the bag up and dashed her tears away. "Yeah." She croaked then cleared her throat again. "Can you check on Carl? Make sure he's in the car. I'll be right out."

"Yeah sure." Abby turned and walked down the hall to the boy's room and found him sitting on his bed, staring at a picture. It was of him and Rick, Rick with one arm slung around Carl's shoulders in a one-armed hug. Rick was in uniform but had a ball glove on one hand and a ball in the other.

"We really got to get going slugger, are you all packed?" She asked as she sat down beside him.

He nodded sadly as he stuck the picture into his backpack then stood up and walked out. Abby followed him down the hall and out of the front door, as he threw his bag to Shane. Shane caught the bag from Carl and threw it into the back of his Jeep.

"Come on! We should be outta here by now! Where's Lori?" Shane growled as he looked around frantically.

"She's coming. She just got told her husband's dead, give her a break!" Abby growled as she followed Carl and climbed into the back seat of the jeep. As Carl closed the door, she heard a pair of footsteps on the porch, then heard the front door slam shut as she turned to see Lori and Abby's husband Martin, trot down the steps.

Lori went to the passenger side door while Shane hopped in the driver seat while Martin threw their last bag into the back and went to sit on the other side of Carl. When everybody was in, Shane peeled out of the driveway and drove like a maniac through town, heading for the highway that led out of town.

Week's later, Abby and Martin sat side by side in front of a fire while Abby sewed on a button onto Martin's shirt. Across from them sat two young blonde ladies that Abby now shared the camping space with. All around them people buzzed around them doing their various chores that made sure their new "home" continued to function.

Abby looked up from her needle work when she felt someone staring at her and saw Amy studying her. Abby smiled "What?"

"You know Shane, right? Like from before?" She asked as she continued to study Abby.

Abby looked at her quizzically. "Yeah, since I was like six. He was my brother's best friend, then they became came cops and have been partner's since." Abby looked down suddenly. "…or at least until he died."

Abby noticed Amy's sister elbow her in the side. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know about your brother!" Amy said looking frantic.

Abby looked up and forced a smile on her face. "It's okay. Why do you ask about Shane?"

Amy hesitated for a second then decided to continue. "Has he always been so…?" She hesitated again not knowing which word to use.

"Arrogant? Pushy? Cock-sure? A royal pain in the ass?" Abby supplied and the two ladies laughed as did her husband. "Yup. I never got why Shane and Rick got a long so well. Him and Rick were polar opposites but they were like brothers. I doubt Shane would've become a cop if it weren't for my brother."

Suddenly Shane's loud voice boomed as he walked towards the fire. _Speak of the devil and he will come,_ Abby thought to herself. "Everybody, gather around!" He shouted in his 'Deputy Walsh' voice. He stood by the fire with his arms crossed over his big chest and waited patiently while everyone but the Dixon boys slowly walked over.

"Alright, everyone" Shane started once he was satisfied that there were enough people listening to him. "Now we're starting to run low on supplies and Glenn here," Shane pointed to the young Korean kid who'd been doing all of the supply runs so far. "He can't get enough stuff on his own to support the entire camp. So, I need some volunteers to go with him. Four or five should do."

Immediately three hands shot up. Andrea, T-Dog and Abby. Shane nodded appreciatively at the first two but frowned when he looked at her. "Uh, hell no! Who else."

Abby heard Martin sigh in relief which only pissed her off more. Abby shot to her feet. "Now wait a second!" She growled trying really hard to keep the stereotypical Grimes' cool head. "You can't just shut me down like that, I could be of great help!"

"There's no way am I intentionally putting Rick's baby sister in harms way!" He said to her then turned to look at the group again.

"Besides, Honey, its too dangerous for you!" Martin said as he gently tried to pull her down beside him.

Abby wrenched her hand from his grasp. "I ain't no delicate flower!" She growled at him then looked up at Shane once more. "Next to you, I know the most about weapons! Heck, I know more than you! I've actually fired guns and rifles at people before!" She looked at the group that had gathered around. "I was just honorably discharged from the Marine two weeks before shit hit the fan, I was a Master Gunnery Sergeant. I did several tours in Iraq, out of anybody here I should be on this!"

From behind everyone came a loud appreciative whistle. Everyone turned as Merle Dixon got to his feet, "Well I knew there was something about ya I liked besides that fine perky ass. If G.I Jane's going, then so am I."

Shane glared at Merle momentarily then looked back at Abby, then dropped his chin to his chest and rubbed the back of his head. "Fine. Once a Grimes got something in their head, there's no changing it. And a sniper might come in handy." Satisfied Abby sat down once more. "I need at least one more." Shane said as he lifted his head and looked around once more.

Reluctantly two more hands went up, a man by the name Morales and a woman named Jacqui. "Alright, its settle then. The seven of you, that is if you truly intend on going, Merle."

Merle cackled "Bet yer ass I do."

"Then, you'll all leave first thing in the morning. Abby, come see me by the truck." Shane instructed, ignoring Merle's comment.

Abby handed Martin his shirt as she stood up and followed Shane, ignoring her husbands worried look. Once Shane got to the back of the SUV, he opened the hatch and pulled out a hunting rifle. "I know its not as fancy as the high-powered rifles you've used to but in your hands, it should be pretty damn lethal."

He looked a little guilty as he studied her as she took the rifle from him and inspected the scope. "Are you sure you're ready to go back into a warzone? Because that's basically where you're going. Rick said you were having a real hard time adjusting to civilian life. And I've heard you wake up screaming a few times in the night."

Of course, Rick told him. She thought gloomily to her self. She sighed as she slid the rifles strap over her shoulder. "I'll be fine, I'm going to have to face that shit one way or another. Might as well do it now on my own terms."

Shane nodded, then handed her a box of ammunition for the rifle.

The next morning, they all piled into a eighteen passenger van and zoomed down the highway towards Atlanta. Abby leaned forward in her seat to see out the front windshield, to watch the grim scenery roll by while Merle was at the wheel and Glenn sat in the passenger seat.

"So where too, kid?" Abby asked.

"Well there's this huge department store that's not to far into the city. It's probably our best bet. I've gone there a few times but I can only take back so much stuff. There's this huge herd of geeks at the far end of the street but if we park a few blocks away we should be able to get to it easily with out being seen or heard by them." Glenn looked like he was calm but Abby could tell he was nervous.

"Is there access to the roof?" Abby started making plans in her head.

"Yeah but the build is only five stories high. Why?" Glenn looked back at her.

"One of us should keep an eye on that herd. I got a half decent scope on my rifle, if things go south then maybe I can clear a path to the van." Five stories would be pushing the range of her scope but she'd make it work.

"No good. Geeks are attracted to sound, if you start firing that thing then it'll only attract more. Were you really a sniper for the military?" Glenn looked at her wide-eyed.

Abby forced a smile on her face. "Yeah I was. Maybe I can set up a nest further down the street closer to the…what did you call them, geeks?"

Glenn smirked, then frowned. Beside her T-Dog spoke up. "What happens if you have to cause a distraction? We can't just leave you there."

She smiled at T-Dog "I hope you won't." Then turned back to Glenn. "You're supposed to know the city really well, right?" Glenn just nodded. "Tell me where there's a good fourth or fifth story window or a roof that I can keep an eye on the department store for you guys but can easily make a quick escape. We can set up a meeting point and if it all goes to shit you can wait for me there."

For the rest of the way the two of them made a plan and by the time they rolled to a stop, they all knew what to do. When they exited the vehicle, Abby went down one side of the streets while the others went down the other. The journey to her destination was relatively quiet only having to dodge a few walkers notice and only killing one that had been in the building where she'd be set up.

Once settled, she scanned the buildings down the street looking, for signs of Glenn. The others were to scavenge the department store while Glenn went further down the street, closer to the walkers, and check out a pharmacy. She sat there for a good hour watching the street and even though the walkers were further up the street from the last time Glenn had been in town, they seemed relatively docile at the moment.

Suddenly a familiar thumping sound caused Abby to look up at the sky in time to see a helicopter disappear behind a building. That's when she heard the walkers start to moan and shuffle, at first going in a direction that didn't matter to Abby but then a loud clip clopping of a horse's hooves on pavement drew Abby's attention down the street. She looked down her scope to see a man in a sheriff's outfit, on a horse, looking up at the sky, trying to chase down the helicopter. She watched as he slid to a stop as he nearly rode in to the rear end of the herd of walkers. The man wheeled the horse around and took off back down the street, the way he'd come, unfortunately leading the herd directly in front the department store that her people were in.

Suddenly her radio crackled and Glenn's voice came on. "Abby, are you seeing this?"

"If you're referring to the cowboy, then yeah. Maybe he'll lead them far enough away…" Just as she finished saying it, the cowboy got swarmed.

"Oh shit, I think they got him." Glenn said sadly.

Abby continued to watch as the cowboy got thrown from his horse. _He must have a lucky horse shoe shoved up his ass_ , she thought to her self as she watched him land on the ground in a space where no walker was presently occupying.

"Not yet they don't. They're too focused on the horse, I'd shoot the poor thing if it didn't cause to much noise." Abby loved horses and it tore her up to see it suffering. She watched as the man scrambled away at first in one direction and then scrambled underneath the tank, parked in the middle of the street.

Suddenly a quick succession of five pops went off. "Shit!" She growled out. _Might as well send up a flare_! She thought to herself. A few minutes later, another pop went off but this one sounded like it'd come from inside the tank.

The radio crackled again. "Was it me or did that last shot sound like it came from _inside_ the tank?" Glenn asked.

"You might be right but there's no way he's getting out of there. He's surrounded." She radioed back.

"Hang on, I'm gonna change the channel and see if I can talk to him!" Glenn said enthusiastically.

"You're gonna what? Glenn…Glenn! Dammit!" Abby clipped the radio back to her belt and watched the tank.

Three minutes later Glenn came back on. "Okay he's gonna make a run for it maybe you can cover him! He's suppose to come towards me, do you see me?"

Abby scanned down the street to where the pharmacy was and saw Glenn standing behind a chain link fence. "Yeah I see you. Don't do anything stupid, Glenn. No ones close enough to save you!"

"There he goes!" Glenn said excitedly.

Abby focused back on the tank and watched as the cowboy, no longer with his hat, started running towards Glenn firing as he ran. Abby focused on his head a moment, there was something familiar about that dark wavy hair but she couldn't place him with the poor range of the hunting rifles scope. Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs, she started clearing a path in front of him. When he reached the back alley that Glenn was in he momentarily pointed the gun at Glenn, realized that he was still living then looked back over his shoulder in her general direction, then quickly followed after Glenn. She tried to take as many down as she could as the flowed in after the two.

Once she lost sight of them, she quickly reloaded her rifle, slung it over her shoulder and hoped she could still get out. She headed for the fire escape, looked down to the bottom at the alley, when she saw the coast was clear, she went down the ladder. She quietly ran to the end of the alley and looked out onto the street. Walkers were every where but surprisingly thin where they had been a moment earlier. She almost had a clear shot to the other alley that lead behind the department store.

A sharp whistle caused her to look up to see Merle standing on the ledge. "Com'n sugar plum, I got ya'!" He put the rifle to his cheek and shot the nearest walker in the head.

Abby glared up at him, _dumbass…oh what the hell_! She pulled out her pistol pointed it in front of her just in case and started running down the street to the other back alley. She had to admit, Merle was a pretty good shot. Not once did they get within arms reach of her.

She quickly popped one shot as she entered the alley, at the walker that was immediately in front of her, then ran as hard as she could to the back door of the department store. She made it to the door with out further incident and managed to get inside. Once inside, she did a quick scanned to make sure that it was clear, then slumped against the door. After she caught her breath, she realized no one from her group was around.

Quietly she moved forward, gun drawn and headed for the front of the store. When she reached the front, she stopped dead in her tracks. The entire front of the store was lined with walkers and at least five to six deep. Abby looked around and saw a sign that led her to the stairs to the roof. More than likely that's where they'd retreat.

She ran up the stairs, taking two at a time, then picked up her pace even more when she heard yelling. She burst through the door, with her gun raised. To the one side every one but Merle were crowded together, just out of sight Abby could see the top of a dark head which Abby assumed was the cowboy and Merle seated on his ass with a hand cuffed to a pipe.

Abby pointed her gun at the man. "On your feet! Hands in the air!" She shouted at him.

"It's okay Abby, he just helped us! Merle was getting out of…" Glenn stopped as the man's head snapped up at the sound of her voice, then slowly stood up.

"Abigail?" The man croaked.

Abby blinked hard a few times, thinking that she was hallucinating but when he didn't disappear; Abby shoved her pistol into its holster and ran forward. She practically launched herself at her older brother but he only staggered back a few steps as he caught her and they hugged each other.

"So, you know each other?" Morales asked, stating the obvious.

"What are you doing here? You were supposed to be in Seattle!" Rick choked out.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?! Shane said you were dead!" Tears started to blur her version as she buried her face into his neck, she presently didn't care how sweaty he was.

Suddenly she straightened up and shoved him hard. "You, dumb jack ass! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed…again!" She rubbed the tears from her eyes.

Rick chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "He said he heard a helicopter, started chasing it." T-Dog said with a grimace. "Probably hallucinated it."

Abby shook her head. "No, he didn't I saw it too."

"I don't mean to break up your family reunion but it'll have to wait until we get out of here." Morales said as he stood up from where he had been leaning against the ledge.

Abby finally processed that Merle was cuffed to a pipe, T-Dog looking bloodied up and being looked after by Andrea and Jacqui and Morales held his hand to his abdomen in pain. "The idiot's high and attacked the others, its best that he stays there until we have a plan." Rick grumbled

"Hey sweet ass. Why don't you tell your big brother, _officer friendly_ here, what I did for you?" Merle laughed but his face was full of mirth.

Rick looked back at her. "I was the one clearing the path for you to Glenn." Abby started.

Rick rubbed the back of his head. "Figures."

"After you were out of sight I decided I needed to get out. When I got street level, I looked down the street to see if I could get to you guys. Merle must've saw me, caught my attention and indicated he was gonna clear a path for me and he did." Abby shrugged.

"Merle was actually being _helpful_?" Andrea exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's right sugar tits, now uncuff ol' Merle and I'll show ya how good I can be." Merle smiled at Andrea then looked back at Abby and winked. "Although you'd more likely be my type, ev'n if you ain't no blondie. I bet you're a real wild cat in the sack."

Rick pulled his fist back, about knock the lights out of Merle but Abby grabbed his arm. "Don't Rick, he's just full of hot air and shit." Rick Grimes had an infinite amount of patience in most things, except when it came to men making depreciating remarks about his baby sister.

Merle cackled in delight. "Oh! Officer Friendly is a little touchy when it comes to his baby sister, eh? I'll be sure to r'member that!"

Rick pulled away from her and walked to the ledge and looked down. Morales followed Rick and she heard them talking but Abby ignored them for the moment and studied Merle.

"You know Merle, if you keep that big mouth shut, Rick'll likely let you walk off this roof without the handcuffs. He's reasonable man but it's all up to how you handle things."

"Well ain't you different from camp, all au-thorative, miss G.I Jane. Back at camp you was to busy suckin' yer sissy man's dick an' playin' house…"

Whatever Merle was going to say next was cut off by Rick suddenly spinning around closing the distance between him and Merle in two strides and putting his whole weight into punching Merle in the jaw, knocking him out cold. Abby glared at Rick as he shook his hand.

"That was a little excessive, wasn't it?" Abby crossed her arms over chest while the others looked at him in shock.

Rick smirked slightly while holding his hand, then with a shrug turned to the group. "We need a plan."

Morales looked at T-dog. "How's it coming? Any signal?"

"It's like Merle's brain…weak." He replied weakly.

"The streets ain't safe." Rick said mostly to himself as he looked over the edge once more.

"Now that's an understatement." Morales said cocking an eyebrow.

"What about underneath the street?" Rick asked. "The sewers?"

"Oh man." Morales turned and looked at Glenn. "Hey Glenn check alley! You see any man hole covers?"

Glenn ran to the other side of the building, looked down at the alley and rejoined the group. "No. Must be all on the street where the Geeks are."

"Maybe not." Jacqui said speaking up for the first time. "Old buildings like this, built in the 20's…big structures often had drainage tunnels in to the sewers, in case of flooding in the subbasements. "

Everyone looked at her, shocked. "How you know that?" Glenn asked.

"It's my job…was." She replied, then looked at Rick. "I worked in the city zoning office."

"Well it's a start of a plan." Abby said with a shrug.

"How can you be so calm?" Andrea asked mystified.

"I've been in tight spots before." Abby said with another shrug. "Don't have bullets or RPG's flying at my head, I count that as a positive. They're also slow, both physically and mentally, so this ain't over yet."

"Abigail's right, we can still find a way. We just have to keep looking." Rick said looking at each on of them in turn. "Abigail, T-Dog, say up here and keep an eye on our friend here. The rest of us will see if we can find that drainage tunnel downstairs."

"The guys out cold, I'm pretty sure he ain't gonna wake up any time soon. T-Dog'll be fine on his own." Abby gave a less then pleased look.

"I know but I want you and that scope up here watchin' things down there. Maybe that crafty brain of yours will come up with somethin'." Rick said looking at her seriously.

"You ain't pullin' some big brother crap on me, are ya'? Because I'm pretty sure I'm more capable of taking care of myself than you are." Abby eyed him suspiciously.

Rick chuckled then kissed her on the forehead. "Wouldn't even dream of it." Then turned and walked away followed by the others.

Abby walked over to where Rick and Morales had been standing, then noticed the rifle on the ground. "Son of a..."

It was much nicer hunting rifle, border line sniper rifle, better than the one Shane had given her to use. The scope was twice as nice as the one she had and could see twice as far. If she'd been using it, she'd have probably seen that the man on the street was her brother.

"You and your brother are pretty close, huh?" T-Dog asked from behind her.

Abby turned around and smiled at him. "Yeah most of the time, sometimes it looks like we hate each other when we fight."

T-Dog chuckled then grimaced. "Isn't that how it is with all siblings?"

Abby chuckled. "I suppose."

"Well I'm glad your brothers alright, he seems like a good man." T-Dog said earnestly.

"Yeah, he is, much better person than I am." She said quietly. Then turned back to inspecting the streets below her.

About ten to fifteen minutes later, everyone returned to the roof. "You find anything Abigail?" Rick asked as he came up beside her.

"Depends on how suicidal your feelin'?" She replied with a sigh.

"That doesn't sound good." Glenn said with a tired sigh.

"I'm guessing the sewers are a no go?" Abby asked studying their bleak faces.

"Not going that way." Morales said coming up on her other side. "And the Geeks are starting to come through so we need a plan fast. What's your idea?"

She handed Rick her scoped rifle and Morales the binoculars, then pointed at a construction site. Rick nodded his head starting to understand where she was going with her idea.

"The construction sites always keep keys on hand." Rick started.

"You'll never make it passed the walkers." Morales said looking down.

Then Abby pointed further up the street. "There's a cube van, we can get everyone in it and make a get away."

Rick looked at Glenn. "You got me out of that tank."

"Yeah, but they were feeding. They were distracted." Looking at him is disbelief, then dread.

"Can we distract them again?" Rick asked as he studied Glenn carefully. "They're drawn by sound, right?"

"Right like dogs. They hear a sound, they come." Glenn said starting to sound a little anxious.

"What else?" Rick asked.

"Aside from hearing you?" Morales asked. "They see you. Smell you and if they catch you, they eat you."

"They can tell us by smell?" Rick asked.

"Can't you?" Jacqui put in.

Abby nodded, not at what Jacqui said but at what was crossing Rick's mind and hers. "Guts, we need their guts."

"Excuse me?" Glenn asked looking at her shocked.

"No Abigail's right." Rick said with an appreciative nodded.

"We basically look like them, and if we don't move abruptly they may not notice us. The guts should be able to disguise our living smell. Make 'im disinterested. Basically camouflage, blending in." Abby said looking at her brother.

"That's so disgusting, it might work." Andrea said with an appreciative nod of her own.

"So, let me get this straight, you want us to cover ourselves in Geek guts and walk through a pack of them and hope they don't eat us?" T-Dog said in disbelief.

"No, not all of us just two of us." Rick turned on his heels and headed for the stairs. Every one followed him down into the department store. When they reached the main level, Rick grabbed a pair of rubber gloves and handed them to Glenn.

"If bad ideas were an Olympic event, this would take the gold." Glenn said fear making its way into his voice.

"He's right. Just wait, okay." Morales said as he followed after Rick. "Take some time to think this through."

Rick looked at Morales. "How much time? They already got through the one set of doors, that glass won't hold forever."

"I'm with you Rick. If you need someone to go with you, you know I'll be there with out a moments hesitation but I think I'm better on the roof top. If things go bad for you, then hopefully I can clear a path and distract them away from you." Abby felt bad for her brother, putting himself in harms way for her idea.

"I know you'd be Abigail but you're right. You'd be best on the roof, watching our backs." Rick nodded at her appreciatively.

He turned and headed for the back alley. Everyone followed, no longer able to protest. Morales and Rick put on some long coats and rubber gloves as the reached the back door. The two of them rushed out the door, picked up a dead walker and dragged it inside while Glenn and Abby guarded the door with bats.

They dragged it further into the room and everyone gathered around. Rick grabbed a face protector and put it on his head and picked up a crowbar. He paused a moment when he saw something on the wall then tipped protector down and walked over to an emergency case holding an axe, smashed the glass and took the axe from within.

He put the crowbar down and walked over the dead walker and let out a deep breath. He steeled himself then rushed forward like he was going to swing but suddenly stop and dropped down on his knees beside it. He searched his pockets then pulled out a wallet and looked through it.

"Wayne Dunlap. Georgia License. Born-in 1979." He said then handed the license to Glenn. "He had $28 in his pocket when he died…and a picture of a pretty girl. 'With love from Rachel'" He read off the back of the picture he held in his hand. He used to be like us—worried about bills or the rent or the super bowl. When I see my family, I'm gonna tell them about Wayne." Rick looked back at Abby for assurance.

"They're fine." She said. "I can do it for you, Rick."

"No." He said firmly as he put the face protector back on and picked up the axe.

"One more thing…" Glenn said as Rick stood up. "He was an organ donor."

There was a brief pause, then suddenly Rick was swinging the axe into the walker's abdomen. Everyone flinched or turned away as he continued to swing. Abby just watched Rick and it tore her apart. With each swing, it tore at the thread of Ricks soul.

Finally, he had enough and took of the face protector and handed it to Morales. "Keep chopping." He told him.

"I'm gonna hurl." Glenn said weakly as Morales swung the axe down at the man.

"Later." Rick told him. After a few more swing Rick looked at everyone. "Everyone's got gloves? Don't get any on your skin or in your eyes."

Everyone hunched over and grabbed a scoop of innards and started smearing them on Rick's and Glenn long white coats. When they were nearly done, Rick looked over Abby.

"Get to the roof, by the time we're done I want you watching our backs." Rick said to her.

"Got it." Abby took off her coat and gloves and turned to go but stopped and looked back. "Don't do anything stupid, 'kay? I can't just get you back only to lose you, again! I love you, you big dumb ass."

"I love you too, baby girl. I'll do my best now get out of here!" Rick smirked despite the fact that he was covered in a dead person's innards.

Abby turned tail and ran to the top of the building as fast as she could. She unslung her rifle and pointed it down the back alley that Rick and Glenn would use, then waited. With in a minute or so the door opened up and out came the duo shuffling slowly like the walkers.

She held her breath as Glenn walked within inches of a walker, Abby trained her gun on the walker hoping it would ignore them but prepared in case it didn't. It watched Glenn for a second but then continued on. Abby let out a slow breath of relief but continued to watch perspicaciously. She retrained her gun on another walker that was uncomfortably close to her brother then waited while he passed. Thankfully it too only watched for a moment before continuing on.

She watched as the crawled underneath the bus and momentarily lost sight of them as the others burst onto the roof. They ran up beside her but she didn't look to see who was next her, finally she caught sight of them. Behind her she heard a groan.

"Looks like sleeping beauty's awake." She heard someone say. There was a conversation happening behind her but she was too focused on what Rick and Glenn were doing to pay them any attention. When they were half way to their destination, the sky began to rumble, making Abby curse under her breath and pray that it didn't rain.

Suddenly a walker started staring at Glenn intently, she trained her sights on it but then it put itself on the other side of Glenn, making it impossible for her to shoot if it decided he looked like a meal. Thankfully it moved on but little more than a minute later, Abby felt a rain drop land on her nose and this time cursed loudly. And just like that the clouds opened up and began to pour.

She tensed even more knowing full well that shit was about to hit the fan…again. At first, they still didn't seem to notice them, apparently, they'd load a lot of guts on themselves but slowly the other walkers started to turn towards them. Slowly a couple started to follow them but then one them lurched towards Rick and he spun around and put his axe in its head.

They immediately turn and started running. She couldn't get the ones closest too them, in fear they might get hit by her bullet instead, but she could clear the ones a couple of meters ahead of them. She fired as quickly as she could, getting head shot after head shot. Thankfully there were far fewer in front of them then there was behind them and thanks to her well-placed shots they barely had to swing at the walkers after the first few. They made it to the fence with a fairly sizable gap in between them and the walkers but they were still closing quickly.

Once they were over the fence, they shed their guts cover coats and gloves. Abby kept firing trying to keep them from climbing over the fence but Rick had also stopped to clear the top of the fence until Glenn found the keys. The two quickly ran to the cube van, climbed in and raced off in reverse. Abby let out a big sigh. There was nothing else she could do. She watched as the fence collapsed and the herd surged forward as Rick did a quick turn and sped off.

"Wait where are they going? Are they leaving us?" Jacqui asked frantically.

"No. No! Come back, Come back!" Andrea said equally frantic.

Abby put her back to the ledge and slid down. "They ain't leaving, they have to circle back. There ain't no way they can come back the way they came. Rick would never leave me." It was a statement, she didn't doubt for a second.

Suddenly the radio in T-Dog's hand crackled. "Get down to the door, we'll be there as quickly as we can. We just need a distraction."

"Whatever you're planning, hurry it up." T-Dog responded.

Everybody rushed to grab their gear and started to head for the door. "Hey wait! You can't leave me here! Morales! Abby!" Merle called.

T-Dog pulled Abby to a stop. "Should I?"

Abby shrugged. "It's up to you, it was you whom he beat up. Just remember he's got Daryl back home and he won't be happy if we leave him behind."

Abby turned to run after the others leaving T-Dog to make the decision. As she made it to the door, they all grabbed the chain and waited. At first, they heard the screeching of a car alarm and a minutes later T-Dog ran up as someone banged on the door. They all pulled the chain and the door opened to reveal Rick squatting in the back of the cube van.

"We gotta go!" He said urgently reaching out. Rick grabbed a couple of bags and threw them into the van before running back to the front of the van. Once everyone was in side, Rick peeled out of there as the walkers rushed for the open back door but Morales closed the door blocking the view of them following.

Abby looked at a tearful T-Dog as did the others. When Rick looked back and didn't see Merle, he didn't say anything but a look of worry and grief spread across his face. T-Dog glanced at everyone guiltily.

"I dropped the damn key." He said breaking the silence.

Andrea looked around and suddenly realized someone else was missing. "Where's Glenn?"

Rick smirked slightly. "He's fine, he'll probably make it back before the rest of us."

When the reached the cities limits, Morales told Rick to pull over and let him drive. Rick didn't argue and once he pulled over he climbed into the back with the rest and plunked himself down beside Abby. Abby wrapped her arm around his arm and put her head on his shoulder. In return, he grasped his hand around hers tightly and put his head on top of hers.

The further they drove from Atlanta, the worse she felt. They should have never left Merle, no matter how big of an ass he had been. She should have taken the key from T-Dog and released him her self. Daryl wasn't going to be happy and might even feel betrayed by her and she was shocked with how much that upset her. Despite Merle's and Daryl's strained relationship, they both seemed to love each other in their own twisted and unhealthy way.

"You okay?" Rick asked her softly. As he kissed the top of her head.

"Just feelin' bad about Merle." She replied equally soft.

"Nothin' we can to do about it for now." Rick said with a sigh. They were quiet for a moment, then he spoke again. "Tell me what happened after I got shot, tell me it all." He said softly.

She lifted her head with a sigh, then went into everything that had happen since he'd fallen into his coma. By the time she had finished, Morales pulled on the last road that led to the camp.

Rick shook his head in disbelief. "I can't thank you and Shane enough. You looked after my family!"

Abby nudged him gently in the ribs. "You forget, they're my family too."

"Still, thank you!" He squeezed her shoulder.

"You'd have done the same." She said leaning into him more. Damn, she missed her brother. Despite her unhappiness for leaving Merle behind; a part of her was really happy to see him again, for Carl to have his father back. They had a bit of a funny relationship. Most of the time they were the best of friends, sharing everything with each other but there were times when they absolutely hated each other.

For the remainder of the trip the two sat quietly, leaning against each other. When Morales finally pulled to a stop, Abby straightened up and looked at her brother as the others got out.

"Are you ready to see your family?" She asked as she stood up and offered him her hand.

"Damn straight!" He said as grabbed her hand and stood up.

Carl saw his father almost immediately. "Dad! Dad!" He shouted as he raced to Rick's out stretched arms. Rick practically collapsed in relief, hugging his son tightly. Lori stood in shocked disbelief as Rick picked up Carl as he clung desperately to him and walked over to Lori. She wrapped her arms around her son and husband and cried as she buried her face into Rick's neck.

Abby dashed a tear away as she turned from the happy scene in front of her, to receive a hug and a kiss from her husband. Martin shook his head in disbelief as he watched the tearful reunion.

"I can't believe Rick is still alive, after everything that's happened! Then you find each other in the middle of Atlanta! What are the chances!" He said in awe.

Abby watched as her brother talked with Shane and some of the other campers. "One in a million." She said softly.

* * *

I hope you liked it! R&R! I love reviews! They make my day!

-Shockra


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, again! This chapter is probably going to be one of my shortest chapters in the entire story. Sorry about that but the next one is literally twice as long, so you have been warned!

* * *

Two Weeks Earlier

Abby sighed as the women around her droned on and on about insignificant and pointless things. Things they were unlikely to see or enjoy ever again in their lifetime. Abby tried to look interested and follow the conversation but she had hard time not thinking of her nightmare. The one that had been haunting her every night for almost six months.

Abby didn't need an apocalypse to giver her nightmares, many years of war had already messed her head up long ago. Every night she dreamed that dream. The one with her staring down the scope of her rifle, sights trained on a teenage boy, watching as he pulls something from his coat pocket as he approaches her unit as they sweep the streets for enemy soldiers. Then she watches in horror as her finger twitches and the boys shoulder explodes in a fountain of blood, her horror only intensified as a piece of paper flutters from his hand to the ground.

Only it isn't a dream, but a memory that she relives night after night. It used to be worse. She used to wake up, screaming and in a cold sweat. She was ordered to get professional therapy and after four months, she was evaluated and they decided that she was done; then she was honorably discharged for medical reasons.

Abby suddenly stood, forcing her face into a neutral mask to hide the distress that had arisen inside her and quietly departed; walking off into the woods. Once out of sight of the camp, she picked up her speed and trotted for a good ten minutes before stopping then sitting down on a log. She put her head in her hands, taking several deep long breaths trying to force her mind to clear, control her panicked breathing and slow her heart rate.

Abby's eye popped open when she suddenly sensed someone behind her. Slowly her hand drifted towards her side arm on her hip.

"Ya shouldn't be out here alone." A deep masculine voice said softly.

Abby dropped her hand to her pistol and turned to see one of the Dixon brothers standing awkwardly behind her, like he wasn't sure he should be there, crossbow in hand pointing it towards the ground. Abby indicated the pistol on her hip as well as her big hunting knife on her belt, then used her thumb to pulled out her dog tags from underneath her shirt.

"I'll be fine, I can handle myself. It's Daryl, isn't it?" She asked him. If it had been his brother, she probably would have kept her hand on her pistol but Daryl didn't seem that bad.

Daryl nodded his head and half turned to leave, before pausing and turning back. "Ya still shouldn' be out here, things ain't like before." He kept flicking his eyes up to look at her but immediately looking down again.

Abby smiled faintly. "You're out here on your own." Abby pointed out.

Daryl shrugged. "Somebodies gotta hunt."

"Where's your brother…Merle, is it?" Abby cocked her head to the side.

"Not likely to be awake anytime soon." He said, shrugging once more. Daryl looked down at his feet as he shifted from foot to foot, obviously not used to talking to people like her, then looked up at her again.

"Why you so far out here, anyways?" He finally asked.

"Just needed some space." She said with a sigh. "You don't get a lot of privacy livin' in a tent." Abby finally got to her feet. "Before shit went south, I'd only returned to the US a month previous. I'm not really used to the civilian life…although this is hardly a normal situation."

"So, you was deployed? Fer how long?" Daryl asked.

Abby was quite surprised that Daryl kept making conversation, it seemed very out of character from what she gathered about him. The man hardly made a peep at camp and when he did say something, it was almost always to his brother.

Abby nodded. "Yeah, I've hardly been in the US over the last eight years. I was a sniper."

Daryl cocked an eyebrow. "You've gotta be shittin' me, you was a sniper? That common for women?"

Abby chuckled and indicated for him to follow as she started back towards camp. "Not at all, only nine others that I've heard of."

"You any good?" He asked as he followed after her barely making any sound as he went.

Abby's face went blank as she had to abruptly control her feelings from roaring up, the images from her dream flashing in her minds eye. "Disturbingly so."

Daryl was about to say something but noticed the look in her eyes and fell silent instead. The walked in silence for a few minutes, neither making a sound as they walked, when Daryl indicated for her to stop. He pointed off into the bush then raised his crossbow. At first, she didn't see anything but the moment before he pulled the trigger, she saw the rather fat rabbit nibbling peacefully on a leaf and then the next second it had a bolt through its eye.

She looked at him impressed. "Nice shot!"

He smirked slightly and shrugged once more before trudging through the thick undergrowth and picking up his catch.

"Is this what you and Merle do? Hunt?"

"Merle's the one who taught me but he don't do it as much any more. To busy bein' high or drunk." He replied grim faced.

"You don't seem the type, to get high I mean." She said after studying him a moment.

Daryl turned and continued on the walk towards camp. "Cus' ain't, I mean I'll drink and get wasted every once in while but who don't?"

Abby laughed. "True. I know I do. Drives my brother and husband both batty!"

"That Shane guy yer brother?" Daryl asked, surprising her once more.

This time Abby scoffed. "No."

"He certainly acts like it." Daryl observed.

"Shane is…" Abby paused for moment collecting herself as grief suddenly hit her. "Was my brothers best friend. Rick and Shane have known each other since they were eleven and Shane's been bossing me around for as long as I can remember. Lori's my brother's wife." She finished sadly.

"Yer brother dead?" Daryl asked, then looked shocked at his own insensitive words. "Sorry." He mumbled. "Spendin' too much time 'round Merle."

Abby forced a smile onto her face. "Its okay. He is but not how yer thinkin'. He was a Sheriff in King's county. Got shot only a few weeks before shit hit the fan. Was in a coma when it all went down. Shane said he went to get him from the hospital but he wasn't breathing and the power had gone out and everyone was gone. I actually don't live out here no more but came home to visit my brother a few days previous."

They walked for the rest of the way in silence. When they arrived back at camp, they parted ways without saying a word to each other. The moment Shane saw her, he took quick long strides towards her and then grabbed her arm and steered her to the side.

"Where the hell did you go? You were gone for an hour! Lori said you didn't look so good when you took off." He whispered fiercely. "I was just about to send a search party for you!"

She cursed the day Rick had told Shane about her…issues. Now he worried over constantly.

"I'm fine, Shane!" She growled out. "I just needed a little space! I get a little claustrophobic out here with all these people. Plus, I don't need people seein' me breakin' down and you need to back off! I can look after myself and my husband can do more than enough worryin'."

* * *

A few days later, Abby saw Daryl was sitting a lone by his own fire, skinning a Possum. She looked around but didn't see Merle around any where's, not even in the tent; whose door way was hanging wide open, so she walked over to their campsite.

"No Merle?" She asked as she approached.

"Off some where's gettin' high. Why?" He looked up at her, trying to read her face.

Abby's eyebrow's shot up in surprise. "Isn't that a little dangerous?"

"Probably. If he wanna git himself killed, that's his problem." Daryl replied as he continued to study her suspiciously, probably expecting a negative reaction.

"Do you mind if I sit? I'm just lookin' for some peace and quiet. I figure you can appreciate that, needing some quiet. Merle's awfully loud, so I wouldn't get much peace if he was here." She said as she smiled at him.

He smirked and indicated a log they used for sitting. "Sure." Then continued working on skinning his Possum.

After several minutes of silence, Daryl spoke up once more. "Why not go for a walk like last time?"

Abby indicated over her shoulder where Shane and Martin were watching her like a hawk. "They didn't appreciate my walk too much. They'd just follow after me and that wouldn't be too peaceful."

Daryl squinted at them for a moment then looked back at her. "Why they watch you so closely?" Daryl asked, then glared in their direction. "They look none too pleased with you sittin' here."

Abby chuckled tiredly. "They're not pleased but at least they can watch. They don't like you much, so they stay over there. So, will everyone else. As for Shane and Martin, they watch me because they think I'm gonna have breakdown every second of the day."

At first Daryl was annoyed at being used as her buffer zone but then realized that she wasn't trying to be mean or cruel. "You have PTSD or something?"

Abby looked off into the forest. "Or something." She said softly.

Daryl fell silent after that. They sat there for a good three hours saying nothing, Abby only left when she heard Merle shouting. "Darylina! Look what I got, baby brother!"

That became their cycle; every few days Merle would disappear and Abby would sit with Daryl, maybe have a short conversation then fall into a comfortable silence. After one of her visits with Daryl, Martin took her to the side out of ear shot of any one.

"What are you doing over there with that man?" Disbelief in Martin's voice. "He's dangerous!"

Abby scoffed. "You don't even know him! And I'm plenty capably of dealing with _dangerous_ men. Anyways, I go over there because he leaves me alone! He doesn't ask me how I am a million times a day and he doesn't treat me like a mental patient!"

Martin went wide eyed at the last statement. "I-I don't treat you like that...do I?" He asked sadly.

"Yeah, you do! I swear you ask me if I'm alright or how I'm feelin' _every_ hour! You watch everything I do and want me to share every frickin' thought that passes through my mind! I don't _need_ to _share_ them with you! I've worked through my shit _months_ ago but you keep shoving it in my face and wantin' me to inspect it!" Her voice was starting to rise.

"I'm just trying to help!" He said as he motioned for he to lower her voice. "You still have those nightmares!"

"An' I probably will for the rest of my life! Everyone whose been to war, does! It don't mean I need to talk about it! You ain't psychologist, you're just makin' it worse!" She spun on her heels and marched off. When he started to follow after her, she spun around again and gave him a death glare, stopping him in his tracks. She spun again and marched off towards the woods. Lori tried to grab her arm gently but Abby pulled way and continued on marching.

Abby didn't know how long she walked but eventually she stopped and started kicking, punching and eventually stabbing trees with her knife. Suddenly she sensed someone watching her. She grasped her knife tighter and spun around to face her spectator. She relaxed a little when she saw it was Daryl, leaning casually against a tree with his crossbow held loosely at his side.

"What're you doing here!" She yelled at him, her rage still not spent.

He held up his free hand to show he meant no harm. "Told ya' shouldn' be out here a lone. 'Specially after runnin' off all worked up like that." He responded calmly.

"I don't need no babysitter!" She practically screamed.

"If you were calm, I wouldn't have followed you but you had a blind rage look about you." He said seemingly unperturbed by rage. "Would hate ta be that tree 'bout now." Daryl continued indicating the tree she had just tried to mutilate.

At first was going to give another angry retort, then realized the man had cracked a joke; which stunned her to silence. After a moment, she sunk down onto the ground with a defeated sigh.

"Sorry, got a bit of a temper." She said as she put her head into her hands.

Daryl put his back to the tree he'd been leaning against and slid down to the ground. "I'd have lost it long time ago if I was the one bein' suffocated by them people. Jus' ignore me, take yer time."

Abby looked up to study him. "Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked him.

Daryl shrugged "Don' know. Why you so nice to me?"

Abby thought about it for a moment. "Guess you remind me of one of my marine buddies. He was a quiet, rough around the edges, very misunderstood but a real sweet heart underneath."

"I ain't no sweet heart!" He growled as he glared at her.

Abby laughed which made her feel quite a bit better. "Yeah he'd say that too. You know the ladies like that quality…the thoughtfulness.

"An' I ain't thoughtful." He grumbled quietly.

"Then why are you here?" She asked quirking an eyebrow at him. "Even Shane didn't follow after my blow up."

"He started to, but that Lori woman stopped 'im." Daryl pulled out a smoke from his pocket, lit it and pulled drag off his cigarette.

"Glad she did cus' he'd only get my blood boilin' more." She sighed and rubbed her head.

She sat there in total silence until the sun started to set, all the while Daryl just sat there and waited patiently. When she finally stood up, she looked around and realized she had no idea where she was. Then she laughed and Daryl cocked an eyebrow.

"Well Daryl Dixon, you're gonna have to be my knight in shining armor. I have no idea where we are." She let out an annoyed sigh. "I hate to say this but you were right to follow me."

Daryl shrugged as he got to his feet, then pointed behind him. "It's this way."

So, they walked in silence for what seemed like a long time and too be honest, it probably was. It had been just after lunch when she'd stormed off and now the sun was setting.

She looked over at Daryl sheepishly. "I didn't think I'd gone this far. It's nearly dark!"

"Ya ploughed through the forest like a charging bull. Half a Georgia probably heard ya comin'." Daryl said with a smirk that she could barely see in the fading light.

"Probably the easiest thing you ever tracked." She said with a sigh, thankful for the darkness; hiding her pink cheeks.

When they finally broke from the cover of the trees, everyone rushed over to see her. Lori stepped out from the crowd and gave her a hug.

"Thank God you're okay!" Lori said into her hair.

Abby pulled back. "Why wouldn't I be?" She said irritated.

She looked around at all the worried faces and noticed that Daryl had disappeared back to his campsite where is brother sat with a cheeky grin on his face. She focused back to the people in front of her.

"I'm _fine_ , just go back to your meals!" She glared at everyone and they all moved off except Lori, Shane, Carl and Martin.

Carl walked up, undeterred by her irritation, and wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. "I knew you were okay, Aunty! Dad always said you were super tough!"

Abby chucked and smiled down at him as she returned the hug, damn he reminded her of Rick. "Tough as nails, just like you!"

He smiled up at her, then grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the table and gave her a plate of food. "You must be hungry!"

She ruffled his hair. "Starving!"

* * *

Early the next morning, Abby saw Daryl wandering off into the woods, probably going hunting. She quickly ran after him and when she caught up to him, she grabbed his wrist gently to stop him but he immediately wrenched it away as he turned to face her. Initially his expression was hostile but when he saw it was her, his expression became considerably friendlier.

"Sorry." He mumbled as he rested his crossbow on his shoulder. "Don't like to bein' touched much."

"It's fine." She said with a smile. "I just wanted to say thank you."

He looked at her puzzled. "Fer what?"

"For rescuing me and not telling the other that I needed to be rescued." She continued to smile as she leaned back against a tree.

"You didn't need rescuin'." He said with a shrug. "I just got you back sooner. You'd have found yer own way back eventually. You're much better out here then anybody else in this camp."

Abby smirked. "Besides you."

Daryl smirked back. "That's a given."

Abby suddenly noticed a small pack on his shoulder, then nodded towards it. "You planning a longer trip?"

"Not gettin' a lot 'round here. Figure I'd take a longer trip, see if my luck is better. Plus, I need to get away from Merle, been a particular pain in the ass lately." Daryl shook his head and looked at the ground.

"It wouldn't happen to have something to do with me hangin' around, would it?" She asked and Daryl just shrugged and looked awkward.

After a moment, he finally asked. "You wanna come? You need a break too."

Abby chuckled. "That is a _very_ appealing offer but I better not. Next time you wanna go out for a couple of days let me know, I might come."

Daryl smirked. "Sure." Then turned and started off into the woods once more.

"Happy huntin'!" She called after him.

* * *

Like I said, short. I shall apologize to any of my reader from my other story. I've hit a road block and so have been applying all of my free time to this and other fanfictions instead. I do intend to finish...just a little belatedly. Don't worry for all you who are reading this story, I'm practically done writing this story, I mostly just need to edit and proof read it! So hopefully not too many delays!

-Shockra


	3. Chapter 3

Hey! Thanks for continuing to read! We have a long way to go, I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Like I said, this chapter is twice as long, nearly three times long than chapter 2. So you have been warned! Enjoy!

* * *

The following morning Abby helped Lori with folding the laundry, while keeping a weathered eye on the forest waiting for Daryl and thinking what she could say to him.

Lori smiled when she glanced over Abby's shoulder. "Mornin' Officer!"

"Hey!" He said as he put a hand on Abby's shoulder, then giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"You sleep okay?" He asked Lori.

"Better than I have in a long time." Rick said with a slight smirk.

"Okay, standing right here!" Abby said throwing up her hand. "I'm gonna go and throw up over there." She complained then went off in the direction that she'd pointed to, the direction of where Merle and Daryl camped.

Abby wasn't half way there when Shane drove into camp like a maniac and slid to a halt. "Water's here y'all. Just a reminder to boil before use." He said loudly as he got out of his jeep.

Abby rolled her eyes as she changed her direction and walked to the back of the vehicle and grabbed a big container of water. Just as she set the container on the ground she heard a scream of a girl and Carl yelling "Mom! Dad!"

Rick and Lori raced off in the direction of the woods with Abby and Shane hot on his heels, Shane tossing her a shotgun as they ran while Glenn called Rick's name and tossed him something that resembled a spear as he ran after them. She heard Sophia screaming "Momma, Mommy!" As they ran but then suddenly Carl, Jacqui and Sophia burst from the bush and Carl ran into Lori's outstretched arms.

By that time, more of the group had come to see what was happening and followed them as they came to the edge of the woods. They all slowed down as a walker came into view hunched over a deer, eating its innards. It didn't escape Abby notice that the deer had two of Daryl's bolts sticking from its rump.

The walker suddenly got up and turned on Rick but Rick was quick and clubbed it over the head with his makeshift spear, which really was just a piece of timber with a point on it. It was as if a switch was flicked on as all at once, the men of the camp started beating on it. Abby hung back and looked around to make sure the walker had no friends to come and join it, when she looked back she saw Dale raise an axe and cut off the walker's head.

Dale motioned towards it. "It's the first one we've had. They never come this far up the mountain."

"Well, they're running out of food in the city, that's what." Jim said grimly.

Suddenly branched snapped behind Jim causing Shane and Abby quickly aimed their weapons in the direction of the sound. Abby half expected it to be Daryl, considering the deer but if it was another walker, she wouldn't be standing there looking useless. But as she suspected it was Daryl as he emerged from the bush. Daryl stopped in his tracks when he saw the two shotguns pointed at him and everyone else with their weapons raised.

Abby let out a sigh of relief as she lowered her weapon. Daryl continued forward looking annoyed as he spotted his deer on the ground and half eaten. "Son of a Bitch!" He cursed as he walked towards the deer. "That's _my_ deer! Look at it! All gnawed on by this…" Daryl started kicking the walker in frustration and cursing at it while he kicked it.

Rick eyed him carefully while the others back up and looked uneasy. Abby rolled her eyes and stepped forward, half noticing the string of squirrels and a couple of rabbits hanging from his belt.

"Daryl! Daryl!" She said trying to catch his attention, she'd have touched his arm but she didn't think he'd react well to that. He finally looked up at her, still looking annoyed then turned and pulled his bolts from the deer.

"What you want?" He asked as he did so.

Dale looked like he was going to say something but Abby put her hand up to stop him. Daryl was generally nice to her but she noticed that he was less than kind to pretty much anyone else. Maybe it was because she tried to be nice to him and hadn't immediately judged him and his brother when they'd showed up.

"We need to talk." She said.

He eyed her suspiciously as Rick and Shane stepped forward. "Abigail, let me do this." Rick said half putting himself in between Daryl and her.

"Who's this shit hole?" Daryl asked tersely looking around Rick at her.

"My brother, apparently he wasn't dead." Abby said as Daryl eyed him up. "Accidently found him in the city. Speaking of brothers, we need to talk about Merle."

He suddenly pushed pass her and Rick and walked quickly towards camp. "Merle, Merle!" He hollered. "Get your ugly ass out here!"

"Daryl, slow up a bit and let us talk to you." Shane called as the three of them followed after him.

Daryl turned on Shane. "Where is he? Where's Merle?"

Shane rubbed his face. "There…there was a problem in Atlanta."

"Shane!" Abby started but Shane held up his hand to silence her as Rick came up beside her keeping a close eye on Daryl, both him and Shane putting on their officer act's; which only made Daryl tense more.

"He dead?" Daryl asked coolly but Abby could see his muscle bunching up.

"We're not sure." Shane replied calmly.

"Either he is or he ain't!" Daryl said irritation starting to make its way into his voice as he took a couple steps toward Shane.

"No easy way to say this." Rick said as he started towards Daryl. "So, I'll just say it. Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked up to a piece of metal. He's still there."

"Hold on, let me process this." Daryl said as he turned away and wiped some sweat from his face then turned back to Rick. "You're sayin' you handcuffed my brother to a roof and left him there?!"

Abby stepped forward now. "And we're gonna go get him, right now!"

"What?" Shane asked in disbelief.

Daryl still looked really pissed but she could see he was getting ready to punch Rick and the statement had stopped him dead in his tracks. Rick sighed then looked at Shane.

"She's right, we can't leave him there." Abby was mildly surprised that he had agreed with her. "Abigail an' I will go and get him."

"Are you insane, Rick! You just got back, we thought you were dead! And now you want to go and risk your life and your baby sister's life to for a two-bit piece of shit?" Shane said angrily.

"Hey that's my brother yer talkin' about!" Daryl said angrily as he took an aggressive step towards Shane.

"Shane, Abigail's helluva shot. Probably saved Glenn and my life more than we realized, not to mention this is what she's trained for. Urban warfare is her specialty, if anyone can get us in and out of that city safely, its her." Rick said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Nobody should be left like that, no matter how depraved they are." T-Dog said as he dropped a pile of wood on the ground, having just come from the woods. "I'm coming too, its my fault he's stuck there in the first place."

Daryl turned around and glared at T-Dog, "What you mean, its yer fault?"

T-Dog shifted uncomfortably. "Rick gave me the key…and I dropped it."

"Then why didn't you pick it up!" Daryl said angrily.

"I-I dropped it down a drain." T-Dog said as he dropped his head in shame.

"To hell with y'all! Just tell me where he is!" Daryl said after wiping his face momentarily, Abby was pretty sure it was tears not sweat on his face.

"Hey, we're going with you and we are going to help you!" Abby said sincerely. "If I'd known Rick was still alive I'd have gone through hell to find him. Its irritated me to no end that I didn't go and try to get Rick myself, it'll probably haunt me for the rest of my life."

Daryl looked at her for a moment, then turned and stormed off. Rick used the hand that was still on her shoulder, to turn her towards him. "It ain't your fault! Shane had every reason to believe I was dead and there ain't no way you coulda done anything more to get me out of there then he had."

Abby shrugged. "I woulda found a way."

'You woulda found a way to get yourself killed!" Rick said as he looked her in the eye.

Martin touched her shoulder and she looked back at him then back at Rick. "I'll let you to discuss this, I gotta change." Rick said then turned and walked off to his tent.

Abby turned to Martin, knowing full well what he was about say to her so she put up a hand to stop him. "I know what you're gonna say and I ain't stayin' back. I coulda done something about Merle but I didn't and I need to fix that!"

"But you just got back! Barely at that! Is that man really worth it? What do you think it'll do to Carl if he loses both his father AND his aunt!" He grabbed her by arms and looked down at her.

Abby looked at him blankly for a moment, then scowled at him. "What it will do to _Carl_!? You're worried about _Carl_ losing me? Apparently, it wouldn't bother _you_ if Rick and I never came back!?" She growled as she reefed her body out of his grasp.

"No! I mean that's not what I meant!?" Martin exclaimed, suddenly sounding distressed. "I just…"

"Don't!" She said as she turned away and marched over to where the sniper rifle Merle had been using sat in the back of a truck.

"Nice going, ass hole." She heard Shane mumble as she walked away, then heard his footsteps as he trotted after her.

"Abby! Wait!" He called after her.

Abby stopped and turned to glare back at him. "You ain't gonna change my mind, either."

"You and Rick just got back, and while I am very concerned 'bout _both_ of you; your shitty husband has a point. Carl lost his father once, he can't lose him again and then to lose his aunt whom he adores as well? That'll scar the kid for life! And what about Lori? What about me?"

"Shane, this is what I do! I've been feelin' so outta place since comin' back from overseas. I've been tryin' to be the domestic wife. You know, the bein' normal thing but that ain't me! It might be messed up but that's how I'll always be." She adjusted the strap of the rifle on her shoulder as she challenged him with her gaze.

Shane sighed. "I'm gonna try an' talk some sense into Rick but I doubt I'll make any more progress with him than I am with you. You Grimes' are damn stubborn but promise me one thing?"

Abby relaxed a little. "What?"

"Look after each other. You two are all the family I got left." For once he actually sounded sincere.

Abby relaxed her stance then stepped forward and gave Shane a hug. "You're a pain in my ass, Shane, but you're my brother's best friend so that almost makes you family."

Abby saw his smile as she stepped back. "Almost?" He asked trying to sound insulted.

"And of course, I'll look after him and you know he'll be keeping an eagles eye on me." She smirked and waved her hand at him. "Now go away and harass Rick, he's better at puttin' up with you."

He smirked at her, then turned and walked towards Rick's tent just as he stepped out of it. Abby continued to the cube van and leaned against its side to wait for the others. Daryl slowly meandered over and leaned against the van beside her as she watched Shane confront Rick; which wasn't going as smoothly as the one between her and Shane had, and started cleaning the blood off of his bolts.

Rick eventually walked over to Glenn to started talking to him. That's when Shane really started to get mad at Rick. "That's five!" She her him say to Rick. "Now you're just putting the camp at risk!"

"Well ain't this my day." Daryl grumbled.

T-Dog was only a few feet away and turned to glare at Daryl. "Hey, we're gonna save _your_ cracker jack brother!"

Daryl squinted at him suspiciously. "Why you?"

T-Dog glared back at him. "You couldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."

"Okay enough you two!" Abby growled at them, then turned to Daryl and showed him the rifle she was holding. "Was this Merle's? He was using it in Atlanta."

Daryl glanced at it. "Yeah but it's probably of more use to you, then it'll ever be to him."

"It had a better scope then the huntin' rifle Shane gave me, didn't figure he need it…" Daryl glared at her. "Wait, that came out wrong, I didn't mean it the way you took it." Daryl turned away and walked to the back of the truck as Abby sighed.

"Wait. What guns?" She suddenly heard Shane say, bringing her attention back to the confrontation between Rick and Shane.

"Six shotguns, two high powered rifles and a dozen hand guns." Rick responded confidently. "I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. Its just sitting in the street waiting to be picked up."

Abby had heard him and Glenn discussing a bag of guns back in Atlanta but hadn't really thought about it much. Then she thought back to when she'd first seen him riding down the street and how she'd seen several pipes poking over his shoulder, she hadn't thought about much at the time.

Now Shane looked intrigued. "Ammo?" He asked.

"Seven hundred rounds, assorted." Rick replied.

Abby grinned. "That should hold us over for a few months." Rick looked over at her and smirked.

"You went through hell to find us." Lori stated sounding upset. "You just got here and you're gonna just turn around and leave?"

"Dad, I don't want you to go." Carl put in sadly. Abby could tell that Carl's plea pulled on Rick's heart strings, certainly more than Lori's had and he couldn't seem to find a way to reply.

"To hell with the guns. Shane's _right_." Lori put in adamantly. "Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of our lives, even with the guns thrown in." Rick walked over to her as she continued. "Tell me. Make me understand."

"I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy." Lori looked at him in dismay. "Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him."

"What's stopping you?" Lori asked.

"The walkie-talkie, the one in the bag I dropped. He's got the other one…" Rick continued but Abby lost interest and turned towards the back of the truck and saw Daryl glancing around the corner with an angry look on his face. Abby walked over to him and sat down on the bumper beside him.

"They don't give a rat's ass about Merle." He said angrily. "They just want their guns and walkies. Merle's right, its just us. Ain't nobody else who's gonna give a damn."

Abby looked at him sadly. "I give a damn 'bout both you _and_ Merle."

Daryl scoffed. "No, you don't. You jus' feel bad but not for Merle's sake."

"There ain't nothing I can say to make you think otherwise, is there?" She asked him.

"Nope." Daryl just looked off to the side, then climbed into the back of the delivery truck as Rick and Glenn walked over.

"Glenn, can you back up the delivery truck to the front of Dale's RV?" Rick asked as he turned to T-Dog. "Do you know where we can get a pair of bolt cutters?"

"I think Dale's gotta pair but it might take some convincing have to him to lend them to you." T-Dog said.

Rick indicated that T-Dog follow him over to Dale as Glenn and Abby jumped into the truck.

"Rumor has it, you have a pair of bolt cutters." Rick asked as he walked towards Dale.

"Maybe." Dale responded hesitantly.

"Yeah, we get that roof though, we'll need to cut through that chain and the handcuffs." T-Dog said.

Dale eyed them suspiciously. "I never liked lending tools. The last time I did—and yes, I'm talking about you." Dale said pointing to T-Dog. "Let's just say that a bag of guns wasn't the only bag to be dropped. My tools got left behind with Merle."

"We'll bring your tools back too." Rick said trying to assure Dale. "Think of the bolt cutters as an investment."

Abby shook her head at the stupid conversation going on behind her as she climbed into passenger beside Glenn. This is why Rick was the cop while she joined the Marine's, she didn't generally have the patience for this sort of bull shit. Suddenly Daryl's foot appeared as he stomped on the van's horn, nearly getting Glenn's fingers in the process.

He walked back to the back of the truck. "Come on!" He hollered. "Let's go!"

T-Dog climbed into the back of the van but Shane approached as Rick put the bolt cutters in the van. Abby rolled her eyes and focused on the woods through the windshield. After a moment, the passenger door opened and she looked over see Rick starting to climbed up.

"Scooch." He said waving his free hand.

"Who died and made you the shotgun king." She said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just move to the back Abigail!" He said tiredly.

"Fine." She got up, grabbed her rifle and plunked herself back down in the back.

The trip was largely driven in silence. As they reached the city limits, T-Dog got into it about Merle again but thankfully they'd arrived at their destination and Glenn looked back from the driver seat. "We walk from here." He said.

They all piled out of the cube van and trotted up the track towards a gate. Once pass the gate, they continued trotting down the tracks until Glenn came to a stop and revealed a break in the chain-link fence, then rolling part of it back and Rick stepped through followed by everyone else.

"Merle first or guns?" Rick asked as he turned back to Glenn.

"Merle!" Daryl stated firmly. "We ain't having this conversation."

Rick looked at him. "We are." Then back to Glenn. "You know the geography. Its your call."

"Merle's closest." Glenn said without hesitation. "The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first." He said as they all started trotting again.

The kept the same pace the whole way, but T-Dog looked like he was about to keel over at any moment. When they stopped a few blocks before the department store, T-Dog looked over at Abby who only had a slight sheen of sweat on her brow; even the others were breathing heavily.

"What are you made of?" T-Dog asked her.

"You forget, I was in the military. I used to carry eighty pounds of gear every day in arid environments for eight years, you kinda have to be in shape." She said smirking.

"Merle was right, you are freakin' GI Jane." He wheezed.

"'nough already, lets go!" Daryl growled out. "We're almost there!"

Rick peeked around the corner. "Looks like alls clear. Must've managed to draw them all off with that car alarm. Abigail hang back a little, cover our ass'."

Abby nodded and waited a few seconds before following after them. She followed them at a slower pace but as they made their way down the street, they came across no walkers. Glenn waited for her by the door, holding it open for her as she trotted up and they all walked into the department store together.

Slowly they edged their way in to the store but after a moment Rick held his hand up for them to stop, then pointed out a walker on the far side of the sales counter. Daryl slowly walked forward, approaching the walker carefully, crossbow raised.

"Damn. You're one ugly skank." He said as inspected it momentarily before shooting it through the forehead with his crossbow.

He walked up to it, collected his bolt and they all continued down the hall to the stairs. When they made it to the top, Rick looked back at T-Dog and he came forward with the bolt cutters and cut off the lock. Immediately Daryl kicked the door open and they all rushed onto the roof.

"Merle? Merle!" Daryl called as he went down the catwalk.

They all followed then stopped and stared in disbelief as they looked at the empty spot where Merle, should be sitting. But all they found was nothing but a hand, a bloody hack saw and bloody handcuffs dangling from the pipe.

Daryl started pacing, staring at the spot where Merle had been. "No! No!" His face scrunched up in grief and it broke Abby's heart. "No!" He called again and again pacing like a caged animal. Suddenly he stopped and looked down at the spot where Merle's hand lay, then whirled around with his crossbow raised and pointed it at T-Dog.

In a lightening fast response, Rick whipped out his pistol and put it to Daryl's head, pulling back the hammer. The three just stared a each other for a long moment then Rick finally spoke up. "I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in the city hears it." He said coolly.

Abby stepped forward and put a hand gently on Daryl's forearm. "Daryl, I know you're upset. I'd upset be too but shootin' T-Dog won't help you or yer brother. It was an honest mistake, and now he's standing here tryin' to make it right; we all are. Please." She pleaded as she put a bit of pressure on his arm.

Daryl let his arm drop to his side and blinked hard to get rid of the tears that had started to form. Rick slowly dropped his arm as well, gently putting the hammer back into place while staring unhappily at Daryl. Daryl glanced over T-Dog again, this time calmer.

"You got a do-rag or something?" He asked him.

Abby and Rick looked at each other confused as T-Dog pulled a bandana from his pocket and handed it to Daryl. Daryl grabbed it then turned and walked over the hand, propped his crossbow against the piping and with a sigh, then spread the bandana out on the ground neatly.

"I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs." Daryl said as he picked the hand up by the pinky finger and placing it on the spread-out bandana. "Ain't that a bitch." He mumbled as he carefully wrapped it up. As he stood up with his wrapped-up hand, he looked around a moment then motion towards Glenn to turn around and shoved the hand into poor Glenn's backpack.

Daryl walked back to his crossbow picked it up then studied the spot where Merle had once been. "He must've used a tourniquet, maybe his belt." He said as he inspected the ground. "Be much more blood if he didn't."

Abby followed directly behind him as started following the trail of blood which led to a door that hung open. After a moments hesitation, Rick and a now sickly-looking Glenn followed, while T-Dog gathered Dale's tools that had been strewn across the ground. Daryl raised his crossbow as he approached the threshold while Rick and Abby raised their pistols as they entered what looked to be a utility room, which led to another stairwell that only went down.

"Merle. You in here?" Daryl called out as he peered over the rail.

They all started descending down the stairs together, keeping their weapons trained on the stairs below them. Once on the ground floor they entered into what looked like a long hall lined with offices. Daryl, Rick and Abby carefully checked the rooms as they went down the hall but saw no further of sign of Merle until they reached the end of the hall into what looked like the main reception area. There they found two dead walkers sprawled out on the ground.

"He had enough in him to take down these two sumbitches." Daryl said as carefully made his way past them. "One handed. Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother." Daryl continued, almost sounding proud as he loaded his crossbow. "Feed him a hammer and he'd crap out nails."

Abby chuckled. "You know you Dixon's certainly have a way with words." For the first time since he'd returned to camp Daryl smirked ever so slightly.

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is." Rick said ignoring her comment and continuing forward.

They continued on, passing through a kitchen and finding more evidence of Merle passing through, unfortunately he had left the building. After another tense confrontation between Rick and Daryl, it was decided that they'd only continue searching for Merle after they got the guns. Glenn led them into some sort of lab that brought them within a block of the bag, then laid out a plan that he'd been thinking about since they'd first headed off to Atlanta.

Abby liked it about as much as everyone else but it was a good plan. Abby tried to get Glenn to let her be the runner, as she was much faster and could run hard for miles without slowing down. But Glenn felt that she was too inclined to shoot to risk her going out there. So, it was decided that she'd take a third story window and keep Glen covered. The part she didn't like was that she could only cover him when he was near the bag of guns, which was for only a block or if he had to retreat to Rick, then it'd be two blocks but there was a block where she could not see him and Daryl's crossbow could only fire so fast. Abby had tried to convince them to let her sneak across the street to get better coverage but Rick refused to let her get separated from them like that.

So now Abby waited from her third story window, and trained her sights on the corner that Glenn would be coming around. When she finally saw him, he was diving behind the cover of sand bags that the military had set up. After peaking over momentarily he quickly ran over to where the bag of guns lay on the ground. Glenn scooped up the bag of guns ground and had started back but stupidly turned back for Rick's hat. Just then Abby heard shouts coming from where Daryl was waiting. She waited long enough to see Glenn disappear around the corner, then ran as fast she could to the fire escape that Daryl and Glenn had used to get down to the alley. When she got to the window, she jumped down onto the escape and saw two men beating the crap out of Daryl.

Abby quickly slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder and pulled out her pistol but by the time she'd taken aim, they spotted Glenn with the bag of guns over his shoulder and charged him. Abby shouted "Hey!" As she levelled her gun then shot the man with the bat in the shoulder. The man screamed in pain and then the second man screamed out in pain too as Daryl put an arrow in his ass as he was grabbing their bag of guns.

The men were smart enough to grab Glenn and use him as a human shield as the backed towards the entrance of the alley without the guns, as a car suddenly screeched to a halt behind the two men. The man with a bat took a one-handed swing at a walker that lumbered up to him as the man with the arrow in his ass climbed into the car together the men shoved and pulled Glenn into the car, the second man climbing in behind him. Abby took the brief moment that he was exposed to put a bullet into his thigh just before the door closed.

Daryl got to his feet completely, ran forward and banged on the fencing as the car peeled off. "Come back here! You sumbitches!" He shouted. Then, when the walkers turned to him, he quickly pulled the fence closed again. By that time, Rick and T-Dog had arrived, just in time to keep Daryl from beating the crap out of the young kid who'd started the whole confrontation.

"I'm gonna kick your nuts up into ya throat!" Daryl threated as Rick tried to calm him down.

Abby was too high up to make out the actual conversation but after a moment Daryl did calm down enough for Rick to turn and grab the bag of guns…and that damn hat, while T-Dog shoved the kid towards the fire escape which she presently stood on. When they finally made it back to the lab, they forced the kid to sit down in a chair.

"Jesus man, what the hell happened back there?" T-Dog asked looking back at Daryl.

"I told you, this little terd and his douchebag friends, came out of nowhere and jumped me." Daryl responded in irritation as he paced back and forth in front of the kid.

"You're the one who jumped me, puto." The kid said defiantly. "Screaming about trying to find his brother like it's my damn fault."

"They took Glenn! The coulda taken Merle too!" Daryl said continuing to pace.

"Merle? What kind of hick name is that?" The kid was trying to sound bored. "I wouldn't name my dog Merle."

Abby put a hand on Daryl's chest as he started to charge towards the kid. Amazingly he stopped but he still looked pissed. "Hey kid, don't forget that your life hangs in the balance here. Saying smart mouth shit like that'll only get you killed." Abby said as she crossed her arms over her sniper rifle that she had cradled against her chest. She did it intentionally, she was hoping that seeing the big powerful weapon would make the kid a little more co-operative through intimidation when in reality, it was to big and awkward to use effectively in such a confined space.

Daryl walked around her towards where Glenn had left his bag, receiving an evil eye from Rick as he walked. Daryl dug into the bag and pulled out the blue bandana that held Merle's hand wrapped inside it.

"Want to see what happened to the last guy who pissed me off?" Daryl asked as he unwrapped the hand, then turned and threw it into the lap of the kid.

The kid screamed and jumped out of the chair and fell against the wall. Daryl rushed him and grabbed him. "We'll start with the feet this time."

Abby just sighed in frustration as Rick rushed forward to grab Daryl and pulled him off of the kid. Rick shoved him back a bit and looked at Daryl to make sure he wouldn't attack again, then turned back to the kid.

"The men you were with, took our friend. All we want to do is talk with them, see if we can work something out." Rick said putting on his good cop face.

After a moment, the kid relented and told them where his friends were holed up. The four of them followed the kid to an area of town that Abby had never seen before, the place almost looked like a warehouse from the outside. The plan was to have Rick and Daryl bring the kid to his friend while T-Dog and Abby took up spots on the roof tops on opposite sides of the building, making a nice little kill zone.

When Rick, Daryl and the kid approached the doors, they opened and produced two men Abby hadn't seen before and the bald man that Daryl had shot with an arrow. They had intentionally put Abby in the further corner where she wouldn't be able to hear the conversation but would rely on Rick to give her the signal to open fire, while T-Dog was close enough that he could hear what was going on and could make the judgement call himself; not to mention she as a far better shot.

Abby scanned the crowd in the door, seeing only a few handguns in the hands of the men there, then quickly scanned the windows for their own snipers but could see no signs of one. When she finally focused back on Rick, she saw him indicate T-Dog then herself. He continued to point at her a moment longer, she assumed he was probably boasting about her talents. After a few more words were exchanged, everyone's attention was drawn to a scuffle on the roof as two men dragged Glenn to the edge of the building.

Abby focused her sights on the guy nearest to her but looked back at Rick whilst still keeping the gun trained on the man on the roof. The conversation continued a moment longer, but in the end Rick grabbed the kid by the shoulder and the three of them slowly retreated back the way they had come. Abby waited for Rick's group and T-Dog to retreat before finally retreating herself.

When she returned to the rendezvous point, they were already in full discussion. When Rick saw her, he let out a sigh of relief before turning back to T-Dog and Daryl.

"If we got Glenn back I might agree." T-Dog was saying. "But you think that vato across the way is just gonna hand him over?"

"Are you calling G a liar?" The kid asked. Abby had to admit, the kid had a pair of balls but he was kind of stupid.

"Are you a part of this?" Daryl asked the kid annoyed, then smacking him across the head. "You want to hold on to your teeth?"

T-Dog glared at Daryl but continued. "Question is, do you trust that man's word?"

"Well I can tell you one thing, that man's trying to bluff his way through this." Abby said finally.

Rick frown at her. "What do you mean?"

"He's trying to make it look like he's got a lot of armed men, but really I only saw at most six pistols and nothing heavier. He was trying to make you think he had his own sniper on the roof but there's no way there's someone up there." Of that Abby was confident.

Daryl nodded his head. "Makes sense. If they were better armed they wouldn't need to negotiate with us, they could jus' try and take it."

Rick studied her face real intently. "What do you think are the chances he'll hand Glenn over if we give him the guns?"

Abby paused to think about what she had seen. "Can't really say for sure. Their leader seemed level headed enough but if they're more like the one Daryl shot in the ass, then he might be pressured into making a poor decision."

"What do you think are chances are for taking Glenn by force?" Rick asked as he continued you to study her.

Abby shrugged. "Pretty high. If we plan this well enough, we should be able to surprise them. Maybe even minimalize casualties. My question is _can_ you attack them? Any of you? Attacking them means killin' them. This is what I've done for the last ten years, I'm a soldier, its what I've been trained for and I've killed people long before this happened but I doubt either of you three have."

T-Dog looked uncomfortable about the thought but nodded his head in confirmation, Daryl nodded without hesitation and Rick nodded after a moment of thought.

"What life I have, I owe to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could've walked away but didn't. And neither will I." Rick looked at Daryl then T-Dog. "You two don't need to stay here, Abigail and I can take care of this."

T-Dog rubbed his head. "And tell your families what?"

Rick studied T-Dog a moment then looked at Daryl who gave him a slight nod then Daryl stepped forward and started looking at the guns that Rick had strewn on top of the desk.

The kid lurched to his feet. "Come on, this is nuts!"

Daryl turned and pointed at the kid threateningly. The kid sat down and watched them despairingly, as they all armed themselves. T-Dog and Daryl both grabbed a shotgun and pistol each while Abby, whom already had a rather high end tactical pistol, also grabbed a shotgun slinging her sniper rifle across her back.

This time all four of them approached the entrance with the kid gagged and in the lead. As they approached, the door opened and the men inside let them in. This wasn't the tactic Abby had in mind but Rick had insisted on giving them another chance, he had always been the optimist of the two siblings.

As they walked through the crowd, Abby realized that she had been right on the money. Only a few men actually carried guns, the rest carried bats and other make shift melee weapons and even though they were far out number, their opponents were far out gunned. Most of the men in the room shifted uneasily, their inexperience with hostile confrontations plainly evident.

"I see my guns." Guillermo said when they stopped in front of him. "But they're not all in the bag."

"That's because they're not yours." Rick said evenly as he kept his gun aimed at the kid's head. "I thought I mentioned that."

"Lets just shoot these fools now, Ese." Baldy said. "Alright? Unload on their asses, Ese."

Abby zeroed in on him. "How 'bout I blow your brains out and finish what I started in that alley. I'm sure Rick already pointed it out, but I'm damn good shot—I never miss."

"I don't think you fully understand the gravity of the situation." Guillermo said coolly.

"No, I'm pretty sure you're the one who doesn't understand." Abby indicated the men behind Guillermo with her chin. "I see how shifty your boys are behind you, most of them are ten seconds from shittin' their pants. While we're standing here perfectly calm. You know why that is? I used to blow terrorist's heads off for a living, while Rick here has been a cop for over a decade and putting assholes like yer selves in prison. We're highly trained, you're just a group of gang bangers."

"Yeah we're pretty clear." Rick said as he lowered his shotgun, then pulled out a knife and cut the kid free. "You have your man. I want mine."

"I'm gonna chop up your boy! I'm gonna feed him to my dogs." Guillermo said as he took a couple steps towards Rick. "They're evilest, nastiest, man-eating bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how its supposed to be. Are you woefully deaf?"

"Are you woefully stupid?" Abby asked not buying the mans act for a second.

"No, my hearing is just fine. You said to come locked and loaded." Rick cocked his shotgun and raised it once more, and everyone followed his example. "Okay then, we're here." He continued as he pointed his shotgun straight into Guillermo's face.

Abby could feel her adrenaline pumping and her combat senses kicking into over drive as she started assigning who had to die first. But then, just as the moment was about to turn violent, an old woman's voice called. "Felipe! Felipe!" And then an old woman pushed through the crowd of men, towards the bald man.

"Abuela!" The bald man said glancing briefly at the woman. "Go back to the others—now!"

"Get that old lady out the line of fire!" Daryl warned.

"Abuela, listen to your Mijo, okay?" Guillermo said over his shoulder. "This is not the place for you right now."

"Mr. Gilbert is having troubles breathing." The old lady said to the bald man. "He needs his asthma stuff. Carlito didn't find it."

Rick slowly lowered his weapon, as did T-Dog and Abby. "Felipe, go take care of it okay?" Guillermo said over his shoulder annoyed.

"I will." Felipe said as he grabbed the old woman and said something in spanish.

But she looked over at Rick. "Who are those men and that woman?" She asked. Felipe said something in Spanish again as she walked over to Rick, finally forcing Daryl to lower his weapon as well. "Don't you take him." She said to Rick firmly.

"Ma'am?" Rick looked at her confused.

"Felipe is a good boy." She said adamantly, obviously seeing Rick as a cop since he was wearing his sheriffs uniform, including his hat. "He have his troubles but he pull himself together. We need him here."

"Ma'am," Rick started trying to collect himself. "I'm not here to arrest your grandson."

"Then what do you want him for?" She asked confused.

"He's…" Rick looked around a moment, then back at the woman. "helping us finding a missing person." Rick finally said. "A fella named Glenn."

"The Asian boy?" She asked. "He's with Mr. Gilbert. Come, come. I show you. He needs his medicine." She turned grabbing Rick's hand and started leading him off.

"Let 'em pass." Guillermo ordered in defeat as Daryl, T-Dog and finally Abby followed after her. She walked out the back door of the warehouse and lead them down an alley, up some stairs, around a corner and into what looked like a court yard in front of an old folk's home. She then led him down the hall but Rick stopped at the first door and just stared in shock.

Abby walked up beside and peered inside Rick as Felipe led the old lady further down the hall. "Nice going, Sheriff." Abby said softly in his ear as he watched a woman help an elderly woman drink. They continued down the hall watching as room after room held elderly people doing various things, as they went. The hall ended with doors that led to a gymnasium with tables and chairs set up all over the room. The old woman led Felipe to were a couple of people had gathered around an old man and among them, Glenn stood watching, looking concerned as Felipe pulled out an inhaler and helped the old man take his medicine.

Rick looked back and forth in between Glenn and the old man, then finally asked Glenn. "What the hell is this?"

"An asthma attack." Glenn responded solemnly, thinking Rick meant the old man. "Couldn't get his breath all of a sudden."

T-Dog looked at him incredulously. "I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man!"

After a discussion with Guillermo, Rick took pity on Guillermo and his people, leaving them a shotgun, a rifle and a few hand guns. Daryl didn't look too happy but didn't say anything and even though she'd never admit it, Abby wasn't too sure it was a good idea to give these people some of their guns. The logical side of her brain told her it was only a matter of time before things when bad for these people but the human side of her understood why Rick did it.

Afterwards, they all agreed it was time to leave the city. Along the way, Glenn recounted what had happened after he'd been taken and then Rick told Glenn what happened to them, after Glenn had been taken. After they recounted their stories, they walked for a while in silence until Glenn finally piped up.

"Admit it, you just came back for the hat." He said with a grin.

Rick smiled and Abby laughed. "Don't tell anyone." Rick replied.

Finally, Daryl decided to speak his peace. "You've given away half our guns and ammo." He grumbled.

"Not nearly half." Rick responded patiently.

"For what?" Irritation making its way into Daryl's voice. "A bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow? Seriously, how long do you think they got?"

"How long do any of us?" Rick asked grimly.

Abby had been walking a few steps a head of the guys and she was the first to stop at the sight in front of them. "Uh guys?" They all stopped and stared slack jawed at the empty space before them.

"Oh my god!" Glenn exclaimed.

"Where the hell's our van?" Daryl asked annoyed.

"We left it right there!" Glenn said confused. "Who would take it?"

"Merle." Rick responded grimly.

"He's gonna be taking some vengeance back to camp." Daryl said equally grim.

With out another word, all five of them took off running. For the first couple miles, Abby kept to the groups slower pace but as they continued, a sense of dread settled over her, so she picked up her pace. A few miles later, the others were well behind her as she suddenly veered off into the woods as the sun began to set. After a while, Abby started seeing the fire of the camp off in the distance and the laughter of the group that echo off the hills. When Abby broke from cover of the trees, the first thing she saw a walker lurching towards Dale's RV as Amy stepped out of it.

In a flash, Abby whipped out her pistol, hastily aimed and pulled the trigger just as the walker fingers started to brush Amy's skin, blowing a hole in it head and causing Amy to scream in fright. Abby ran forward as she saw two more walkers come walking from behind the RV and shoved Amy inside the RV, slamming the door behind her. Abby shoved her pistol back into its holster as more walkers emerged from the dark and cocked her shotgun that she still held on to and started firing at the walkers that shamble around her.

All hell broke loose after that, screams erupted from all over camp and while others pick up what ever weapons were available. "Get over here!" Abby tried to scream over the chaos.

Lori picked up Carl and rushed over to Abby and pressed her back to the RV with Shane in quick pursuit. Slowly more of the campers made their way to her and started forming a semi-circle with the weaponless campers in the middle and those with weapons forming a defensive line. More and more walkers emerged from the woods, there had to have been at least a dozen of them likely more.

Finally, Rick and the others broke from the woods and started firing at the walkers, taking out the last few still remaining in camp. Carl cried out in relief and ran straight to his dad as Rick bent over to picked him up and carried him over to Lori. Abby looked at the people behind her, she hadn't really noticed wh'do joined her but as she looked behind her, she noticed that Martin wasn't there. Suddenly she looked around her frantically.

"Martin?" She called then started looking at the ground.

Rick saw her sudden distressed expression and put Carl down then looked around them also. "Martin!" He called but there was no answer.

"H-he was on the other side of me when we were sitting by the fire." Lori said with tears in her voice. Abby jogged over to the bodies that were strewn around the fire, then put hands to her head.

"No, no, no." She said in anguish.

Rick and Shane both rushed over to her and saw Martin laying face up with his throat missing. Rick reached for her and pulled her head into his neck as she started to breaking down. She just kept on repeating "no, no, no" while Rick hugged her and gently hushed her and rocked her back and forth as she began to cry. Eventually she started to sob, then her legs buckled and Rick had to wrap his arms around her waist so he could lead her over to one of the chairs that still stood outside the RV and sat her down.

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I'd love to hear what you think! Review=Love!

-Shockra


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter! It's on the short side but hopefully I'll have the next one out tomorrow! Out here, it's a long weekend. I hope you enjoy your weekend. Enjoy.

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The rest of that night and most of the following morning was a haze. All Abby knew was she sat in the chair breaking down every now and then to cry. For most of it, Lori and Carl sat beside her trying to soothe when she broke down. Lori would occasionally force Abby to drink or eat or sometimes wipe the sweat and tears from her face. Occasionally Rick would stop whatever he was doing and come and check on her, he'd say things to her but Abby would just nod not really knowing what he was actually saying.

At one point, there was a commotion at the back of the RV and when she glanced over, Abby saw a bunch of the men confronting Jim. Being annoyed by the commotion, Abby got up and walked over to her tent and crawled in side. Abby wasn't sure how much time had passed, could have been minutes it could have been hours, when Lori crawled into her tent and knelt down beside her.

"We're burying Martin and the others now, do you want to come?" She asked as she stroked the side of Abby's face.

Abby nodded weakly, slowly sat up and followed Lori out of the tent. They walked up the road to an open field where several pre-dug graves lay waiting and a truck with the bodies of their fellow campers in the back. Through the hazy that had fallen over her, Abby could see that Shane and Rick were arguing again but stopped when they saw her walking towards the grave.

Rick immediately walked over to her and wrapped her in a tight hug which she accepted and buried her face into his sweaty neck before stepping back. Shane and gave her a hug as well and while she accepted it, she barely returned it. Rick, Daryl Shane and Dale all helped unload the bodies and lowered them into the graves. When they lowered Martin into his grave, Rick looked back at her.

"Do you want to say anything, Abigail?" He asked her. Abby shook her head vehemently as tears started to form again. "Alright, that's okay."

Once everyone was buried, the group of people moved off but Abby continued to stand and stare a Martin's grave. This time it was Andrea and Amy who walked back to her. Andrea put a hand on Abby's back and rubbed it while carefully watching face.

"I'm sorry for your loss." She said sadly. "He was a good man."

"Yes, he was." Abby said speaking for the first time since last night. Surprisingly her voice sounded almost normal.

"Thank you." Amy said with fervor.

Abby finally tore her gaze away from Martin's grave, drawn by Amy's tone and looked at her questioningly. "For what?"

"For saving my life. That walker would have gotten me if you hadn't shown up when you did." Amy answered, then shivered at the thought.

"Yes _, thank you_." Andrea said with emphasis. "Not just for Amy, whom I don't think I could have handled losing, but you probably save a lot of us." Andrea added.

Abby shrugged. "It's what I'm trained to do, protect civilians and kill the enemy."

"Even so." Andrea replied.

Amy frowned. "Why were you there so much sooner than the others?"

"Being in an active war zone for eight years, makes you in really good shape. I used to carry around eighty pounds of gear every day and you were expected to be able to jog in that for miles in the blistering desert heat. I have really good endurance." Abby sighed and finally turned and walked back to the campsite.

By the time she had meandered back, she saw Lori and Shane having a serious conversation about what, she didn't know but she had an idea. As she walked up to the front of the RV, Rick stepped out of it.

"What habits?" Rick asked not seeing her.

Shane scratched his nose thinking quickly of how to cover his ass. "Just talkin' about my need for a plan, man." He finally answered. "So, what is it? Are we leaving or not? Maybe y'all just want to stay here. We could hang some more tin cans."

Rick shook his head. "We can't stay here. We both know that."

"I was just telling Shane, I think we should trust your gut." Lori said then suddenly took notice of Abby.

Rick turned and saw her too, so Abby walked over to join them. "What plan?" She asked with almost no emotion either on her face or in her voice.

"I was thinkin' of getting everyone to go to the CDC." Rick said but she had a feeling he had already told her this, probably this morning.

"And you don't agree, Shane?" Even Abby was shocked with how dead her voice sounded.

Shane eyed her carefully, probably trying to judge if she was sane. "It's dangerous, you saw for yourself how dangerous Atlanta is!"

"And it isn't here?" Abby asked.

"We can discuss this more later." Shane said with a sigh then looked at Rick. "Let's do our sweep."

Both men turned to go but Abby grabbed Rick's arm. "I want to come with."

Rick winced. "I don't think that's a good idea, Abigail."

"Please, Rick. I need to do something, I'm done weeping around. I won't lose it, I swear." She pleaded with him.

"Rick's right, you ain't ready to be out there. You could accidently shoot one of us." Shane said looking her in the face.

Abby scowled at him, the first emotion she's shown besides grief all day. "I've never been known to be trigger happy, that's why I'm a sniper. I've lost people in the heat of battle and kept it together, I can handle this."

Rick gently turned her face to him and looked her in the eye. She met his stare and let him see what she was really feeling. Finally, he let go of her chin and tipped her head forward and kissed the top over head. "Alright." Shane looked at Rick in disbelief. "She'll be okay, maybe the fresh air will help her a little."

"No offense Abby but Rick, she's been catatonic all day! Now you want to arm her and put her in the woods?" Shane asked in dismay.

Rick grabbed a shotgun and handed it to his sister. "Yes."

"Come on Abigail." Dale said. "You can stick with me; those boys need to talk it out."

She followed Dale in to the woods and trailed behind him as he walked into the brush. They walked an opposing circuit from Rick and Shane around the camp and would eventually meet up but for now Abby was appreciative for the solace and even more appreciative that Dale didn't feel the need to give her advice or chat with her.

The circuit around the perimeter of camp had been nice and quiet, but that changed when Abby saw Shane. The two of them walked up to him quietly as he stared down the barrel of his tactical shotgun, tracking something. Abby looked where he was aiming and saw that Rick was in his sights, so Abby raised her own shotgun and walked up to him and pressed its muzzle against his temple.

"Jesus." Dale breathed.

Shock registered on Shane's face as she spoke. "Drop it!" She hissed.

Shane slowly lowered his shotgun but didn't drop it. "Abby this isn't what it looks like. You're just emotional right now and misinterpreting things."

"No, I saw the same thing." Dale said in shock.

"I thought he was a walker, I just realized he wasn't when you put that shotgun to my head. Please Abby just put it down and I won't say a thing to Rick." He pleaded.

" _You_ won't say anything to Rick?" Abby asked in dismay. "Tell you what; how about I don't shoot you, pretend like you weren't about to shoot Rick and you walk in front of us on the way back. If anything happens to Rick or anyone else, you're gonna end up with a bullet in the head and you won't even see it coming. You'll just add to my long list of confirmed kills, consider yourself warned."

Abby lowered her gun, then angled her head slightly towards Rick. "Rick come on. There ain't nothin' out here." She called to him. Then focused back on Shane and indicated for him to move. He was pale and sweaty but he did as he was told.

Dale leaned into her. "Are you sure its wise to not tell Rick?" He asked her in a whisper.

"Oh, I'll follow through with my threat and Shane knows it." Abby said acidly.

"What if he's crazy enough to kill the both of you?" Dale asked.

"Then he'll be dead." Abby voice still dripping with acid, then continued after Shane as Rick joined them. Rick was right, the walk through the forest did help clear her haze but not how he'd meant it too. Abby was now fully alert and she would not be dropping back into that haze of grief, doing so might lose her the most important person in her life…again. She would not be letting Rick die, she probably would truly go insane if she lost him now.

When they got back to camp, everyone but Jim was gathered around the campfire. The four of them joined the group and as Shane put down his shotgun he decided to go into a speech.

"I've been uh..." Shane glanced over at Abby then quickly looked back to the fire. "I've been thinking about Rick's plan. Now look, there are no…there are no guarantees either way. I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time." Abby's scowled at him and held back the scoff that wanted to rise. "I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to say together. So those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning. Okay?"

Abby got up and walked to her tent not really wanting to be apart of the discussion or to be harassed by one of the others. When she got to her tent she, decided to sit on the ground outside the door, suddenly realizing she didn't want to go in side.

"You alright?" A gruff voice asked. She looked up at Daryl and glared at him, he shifted uncomfortably. "I mean with Shane. You look none to happy about his speech."

"His speech was fine, he's just an asshole." Abby growled.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Daryl stood there a moment longer. "Sorry I got so mad at you…before, I have to learn to control my temper a bit more. Especially since I'll have to be spendin' time with people I don't particularly like."

Abby shrugged. "I was one of the people who left your brother to die. I'd be angry too."

"Still, you tried to help. You and Rick both…you both seem alright—for the straight-laced sort." He stood there a moment longer then turned to start walking away.

"Wait." Abby said and Daryl turned back. "Could you do something for me?"

Daryl just shrugged.

"Could you go in my tent and get all of Martin's things? I can't even go in there right now." Abby looked down at the ground. Daryl said nothing at first obviously wanting to say no. "That's fine, I'll get Rick to do it when he comes back from where ever he went."

"Naw I'll do it." He said then walked over to the tent door and stepped in. Less then five minutes later he re-emerged from the tent with a duffle bag and a rolled up sleeping bag. "Whatd'ya want me to do with this?" He asked as he stepped out.

Abby shrugged. "I don't care, just so long as I don't have to see it."

"What if I give to yer brother?" Daryl asked.

"That'll be fine…thank you." Abby said sincerely after a moment.

Daryl just shrugged and walked back to where Lori and Carl sat outside their tent. Lori looked up at him in surprise, then responded to his question. Lori looked over to where Abby sat watching and Abby quickly adverted her gaze, in stead she looked to see where Shane stood talking to some of the other campers. So long as he wasn't anywhere alone with Rick, Abby was happy.

A half an hour later Rick came walking down the road, looking deep in thought. Abby had to call Rick's name several times before he finally registered that he was being called. When he finally registered her calling him, he walked her way and sat down beside her, she frowned at him.

"You okay, Rick?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"I had to call you like three times. Something on your mind?" She looked him over, she hadn't really taken time to check on him since she found him in Atlanta.

Rick wrapped his arm around her and gave her an one arm hug. "You always think to much about other people. I'm fine…jus' worrying about that man and his son I told the group about. His son's Carl's age."

"I'm sure they'll be fine." She tried to assure them, although her voice had very little emotion in it still.

"I know you're not fine, but how are _you_ doing? I can't tell if this worse or better from this morning." He still had his arm wrapped around her and started rubbing her shoulder.

"I'm neither worse nor better, just…in control now." She said with a sigh. He studied her for a long moment, so she spoke up again. "I'm tired of crying Rick, tired of feeling sorry for myself. Plus, with everything that's going on, I don't really have time for that."

"I'm so sorry, Abby. Maybe Shane's right, if we hadn't left maybe less people would've died." Rick rubbed his face with his free hand.

Abby frowned at him. "Shane's a dumb ass! If we hadn't gotten those guns, _more_ people would have died!" Rick just chuckled. "Rick," Abby started as she lowered her voice. "You need to be careful of Shane!"

Rick frowned. "What do you mean?"

Abby paused trying to formulate her words. "When you came back, something in him snapped. I don't think he was happy too see you. I think he was enjoying taking your place in our family…or at least that's how I think he saw it."

"I'm not sure I get what you mean." Rick said but Abby thought he was starting to get the picture.

"He started being Carl's dad, trying to boss me around like he was you…comforting Lori." Abby looked away as Rick's face darkened. "Then you show up and take it all away in a blink an eye. He had his own family for a while, without having to do all the work to earn it."

"Did he sleep with my wife?" Rick's voice was low and dangerous sounding.

"I don't think so, I generally kept close to Lori most of the time. Although over the last couple weeks, I was feeling so suffocated that I took a couple walks in the woods. Hung around with Daryl when Merle wasn't around." Abby shrugged. "If you really want to know, you'll have to ask Lori."

Rick sighed. "You're right, I should be talking to her…wait did you say Daryl Dixon?" Suddenly registering everything she had said.

Normally she would have laughed but she only managed a slight smirk. "We're actually friends…kinda." Abby looked down at her feet. "He even cleaned Martin's stuff outta my tent for me. I would've waited for you but I needed it out sooner then later."

"What'd he do with it?" He asked softly as he resumed rubbing her shoulder.

"Said he'd give to you but you weren't around so I think he gave it to Lori." Abby responded numbly.

"I'll leave you be for a while, unless you want me to stay." He said as he pulled his arm back.

Abby shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. You have family stuff to deal with."

Rick kissed her forehead. "You're just as important as Carl and Lori." Then got up. "I'll check on ya in a little bit." Abby just nodded as he got up and walked away.

The next morning, everyone packed everything up, then gathered around the vehicles while Rick and Shane laid out the plan. Everyone was surprised when Morales and his family said that they weren't going. Rick and Shane gave Morales a pistol and half a box of ammunition to get them by, to which Daryl was very displeased about. Abby didn't blame him, from a survival perspective, it wasn't very smart but from the humanity aspect, it was only right.

After a few hugs were exchanged, everyone started climbing into their designated vehicles. As Abby stared unhappily towards Shane's jeep, Daryl tapped her on her elbow.

"You can ride with me, if you want." He said.

"You sure?" She asked mildly surprised, although she doubted the surprise managed to make it to her face or voice.

"You gonna start cryin' on me?" He asked.

Abby shook her head. "Not likely."

"Figure it'd be better fer you, in stead of riding with that asshole or bein' stuck with T-Dog and those blonde gossipin' girls." He put in as he shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"Alright, thanks." She said nodding.

Abby could see Rick watching them and raised an eyebrow as she walked around to the passenger side door of his truck and climbed in. When everyone pulled out of the quarry, they were the last in line while Dale lead the way in his RV. For the first hour of their journey, neither of them said anything, just stared out at the scenery around them or the road in front of them. But after a while Abby glanced back at the motorcycle that had been loaded into the back of Daryl's truck.

"Is that yours?" She asked indicating the bike in the back with her head.

"Merle's technically but until I see 'im, guess it is." Daryl said studying her out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm not much for choppers, it's a Triumph, right? I rather my '90 Harley heritage softtail." Abby forced a smirk on to her face as he looked at her shocked. "Was a bit of a wild child when I was young, drove my brother and parents insane. My first car was actually a motorcycle."

"What was it?" Daryl asked, obviously interested in her current line of conversation.

"A Triumph also, actually. A 1980 Triumph Bonneville, to be precise." She replied.

"Nice." Daryl responded. "Do you…did you still have it?"

Abby shook her head. "No, the thing had tons of problems and when I married Martin…" Abby paused a moment then sighed and continued. "I sold it, got some crappy civic instead, having to be a 'reasonable' adult and all that. Bought my Harley when I came back from my first tour. I wanted a brand new one but being in the military pays enough to survive but hardly enough for the fun toys."

"S'not so bad though." Daryl said.

Abby smirked again. "It was in pretty rough shape. Former owner, didn't take care of it. Just barely got it rebuilt before gettin' shipped off again."

"Did you at least get to ride 'er?" Daryl asked.

"Couple times. Drove it more after I got back, had to do some work on it though. Sittin' for the better part of four years isn't all that good for it." Abby said with a sigh.

"No, it ain't. You fix 'em yourself?" Daryl was now looking at her full on, obviously enjoying the conversation. Apparently, motorbikes were a happy topic for him and he probably didn't figure anyone in their group would get that or anything else that might interest him.

"The more basic stuff but when things gotta little more complicated, I'd bring it to the garage. If I'd had more time to figure it out, I might've at least tried but the military keeps you pretty busy, even when you're not deployed." She said with a shrug.

Afterwards they fell into a comfortable silence but was interrupted a short while later when smoke erupted from the front of the RV forcing them all had to stop. Daryl opened the door but stopped when she didn't move to get out.

"You coming?" He asked her, already halfway out.

Abby glanced over at him but just shook her head. She watched everyone wander towards the front of the RV, then saw Jacqui rush out of the RV, then watched as first Daryl poked his head in then saw Rick look in her direction before going inside, while Shane and T-Dog drove up the road with Shane's jeep. When Rick came out, Shane and T-Dog had returned and they all gathered around for a discussion before Rick and Shane both went inside then came out again with Jim in between them.

Lori came trotting up the road towards her, as Jim was carried to the side of the road set him on the ground, leaning him against a tree. Abby rolled the window down as she came up to her side of the truck.

"How are you doing?" Lori asked, to which Abby just shrugged in response. "Well, Jim is only getting worse and he's requested that we leave him. So, we're going to respect his wish. We're all saying good bye, are you going to join us?"

Abby thought about it for a moment. Then with a sigh she opened the door and stepped out. When Rick saw her coming he stopped in his journey to his truck and watched as she approached the remaining group and waited for everyone to leave. When Daryl finally nodded and turned to leave, Abby approached him and squatted down beside him.

"I'm sorry for your family. I don't think I ever said that." Abby said. "And I'm sorry this happened to you."

"I'm sorry about your husband, he seemed like a decent man." Jim responded. "Don't feel sorry for me, I'm going to my family soon."

Abby touched his hand. "Good bye, Jim." Then stood up and started back to Daryl's truck but was pulled to a stop by Rick.

"You okay?" He asked her as he studied her face.

"No worse then yesterday." She said then patted his cheek. "I'm doing as good as can be expected. Daryl's actually good company." Then turned and returned to the truck where Daryl waited.

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I hope you like it! I have no reviews yet which makes me sad but I know some of you are reading, so I hope you all enjoyed it.

-Shockra


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! Yay, I managed to get this finished today! I wasn't entirely sure I could, a couple of things came up this morning that I hadn't expected. But here it is! Enjoy!

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Just as the sun began to fade, they finally arrived at the CDC. When all the vehicles had rolled to a stop, everyone jumped out of the cars and gathered together before heading forward, staring in horrible at the scene all around them. Abby pulled out her pistol as she surveyed the area around her; all across the front lawn of the CDC was dead bodies, probably a good hundred of them at least. Most of the bodies were rotting as if they'd been there since the beginning. Scattered through the masses, Abby could see the uniforms of soldiers and as they got closer to the building, they were more.

As they approached the front of the building, Abby could see the doors had shutters over them. The place was in lock down but Rick still when up to the doors and rattled them then Shane tried to lift them, unsuccessfully. Abby shook her head, there was no use; unless whoever was on the other side of those shutters, if they were still living, opened the doors for them then they wouldn't be getting inside.

"There's nobody here." T-Dog stated.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick said as Abby surveyed the area.

She nudged Daryl in the side and pointed at a couple of walkers who'd come lumbering their way, attracted by the racket they were making.

"Walkers!" Daryl called as he aimed his crossbow.

Abby pointed her gun in the same direction but held her fire as she glanced over her shoulder. "Rick's right, there's someone in there. The trick is to convince them to let us in, they're probably watching us right now." She indicated the camera's over the door with her head.

"Abigail, show 'em your dog tags." Rick said as he desperately motioned her over.

"They didn't let these bastards in." Daryl said indicating the dead soldiers as he shot the nearest walker in the head, then angrily approached Rick. "You led us into a grave yard!"

Abby rushed in front of him, putting her in between him and her brother, who was already starting to draw his pistol. "Now's not the time for pissing matches." She hissed at him, then reached down the front of her shirt and pulled out her dog's tags and pulled it over her head. She held it up, as close to the camera as she could.

"Gunnery Sergeant Abigail King, call sign Delta Foxtrot three niner, retired. Lets us in you sacks of shit, we got kids here!" She added the last part angrily.

"We can't stay here!" Carol said worriedly as she clutched Sophia to her.

Just as Abby turned to respond, the doors rolled open. They all stopped and paused what they were doing to stare in shock at the open door. Abby raised her gun as she pulled the glass door open and carefully stepped in, her body fully alert and ready for battle. For the first time since she retired, she wished for all that heavy gear that kept her safe all those years serving overseas…especially her sniper rifle.

"Daryl, cover the back!" She heard Shane say as the others followed her in. "Close the doors. Watch for walkers!"

"Hello?" Rick called. "Hello?"

When Rick called hello for the third time, they head a gun cock and they all pointed their weapons in the direction of the sound. There standing on the last landing before the bottom steps, stood a blonde-haired man holding an assault rifle awkwardly.

"Anybody infected?" He called.

"One of our group was." Rick answered honestly. "He didn't make it."

"Why are you here?" The man asked. "What do you want?"

"A chance." Rick answered simply.

"That's asking an awful lot these days." The man said as he approached them.

"I know." Rick replied his voice sounding slightly desperate.

The man surveyed the group for a moment before speaking again. "You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission."

Rick nodded his head. "We can do that."

"You got stuff to bring in, do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed." The man said as he lowered his gun and walked a little further forward.

Rick nodded then him, as well as the rest of the guys and Abby, quickly ran out side to gather their things before rushing back in. Once they were inside, T-Dog and Dale closed the glass doors and the strange man went up to a security terminal by the doors, scanned a card then said. "VI, seal the main doors. Kill the power up here."

Rick introduced himself. "Rick Grimes." He said offering his hand.

"Dr. Edwin Jenner." Jenner replied as he shook Rick's hand. Then nodded in the direction he'd come. "This way."

They all followed him to an elevator and they all pack themselves inside of it. Abby was squeezed in the back between Daryl and Glenn and watched everyone around her, who were all looking at the strange doctor, trying to see if they could see what kind of person he was by his appearance.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl asked him eyeing with particular distrust, a distrust that Abby shared.

Jenner looked over his shoulder at Daryl. "There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself."

"But you look harmless enough." He said quietly. Abby quirked an eyebrow, they were practically bristling with guns but she supposed harmless had a new definition these days. "Except you." The doctor said smiling slightly as he looked down at Carl. "I'll have to keep an eye on you." Which made Carl smirk slightly.

When the arrived at their destination, Jenner led them down a long hall. As the walked down the hall, Carl and Sophia looked around wide eyed as they went. "Are we underground?" Carl asked.

Jenner looked back. "Are you claustrophobic?" He asked.

"A little." Carol answered.

"Try to not think about it." Jenner said in return, then turned forward as they went from a hall into a dark room, that in even in the darkness seemed big. "VI bring up the lights in the big room."

Suddenly the room lit up and revealing a big island filled with computers and huge screen just beyond the machines. Outside the island and down a lower level were even more computers and walking space, everything either white or steel; giving the room a very cold sanitary feel.

Jenner looked over his shoulder. "Welcome to zone 5." Then turned back and walked towards the computers.

"Where is everybody?" Rick asked as he followed him. "The other doctors? The staff?"

Jenner stopped in the middle of the of the island of computers. "I'm it. It's just me here."

"What about the person you were speaking with?" Lori asked.

"It's not a person, it a VI…a computer." Abby said just barely managing to not roll her eyes at the question.

"That's right." Jenner confirmed with a nod. "Say hello, VI. Say welcome guests."

"Hello. Welcome guests." An electronic voice said.

Jenner looked at them. "I'm all that's left. I'm sorry." He said sadly.

Afterwards he led them all to what looked like it was either a classroom or conference room and indicated for them to sit in the various chairs in the room. Abby still had her hand on her pistol as she stood along the wall near the door, although her gun was now in its holster while she shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.

Jenner looked at her. "Since you're the only one still standing, why don't you come be my first victim, Sergeant?" Then indicated her hand that was resting on her pistol. "You shouldn't need that." He said.

Abby let go of her pistol and finally sat on the stool in front of him. "I hope you don't research Ebola in here." She said dryly as she stuck out her arm and rolled up her sleeve.

"Only every other weekend." He replied with a smirk.

He wiped her skin with an alcohol soaked cotton ball to sterilize her skin, then inserted the needle and attached the vial. "It's Abby by the way. Like I said, retired." She said as she watched the needle punctured her skin.

"You seem a little young to be retired." He commented as they both watched as her blood filled the vial.

"Snipers tend retire young." She said with a shrug. "The phycological stress tends to be too much."

"I have to say, you're the first female sniper I've ever met. Not that I've met that many military types, besides those who protected this place." Jenner finally pulled the vial off, the needle out and taped another alcohol soaked cotton ball to the needle sight. "There all done."

Abby got up and took a step forward before stopping when she suddenly became light headed. Andrea put her hands an Abby's shoulders and steadied her.

"Are you okay?" Jenner asked as he frowned up at her.

"She hasn't eaten in a couple of days. None of us have." Jacqui said.

Jenner looked at them surprised, then stood up. "We can finish this later, you people need some food." He stuck Abby's vial of blood in the cooler, then led them out of the room down the hall into another large room.

Jenner stretched his arms out grandly as the stared at the shelf after shelf of food. "Help yourselves." He said. "Foods along the wall over there and there's a wine fridge with more than just wine."

Everybody talked at once, mostly talking excitedly about the wine. Abby just took a seat at the table and sat back as she sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. A few minutes later a plate was set down in front of her, when she looked up, it was Lori who was studying her carefully.

"Honey, you need to eat!" She said earnestly.

"Lori, I appreciate your concern but I'm fine…or as fine as I can be in my circumstance." Abby said trying to put some emotion into her words. Now that the adrenaline had faded away, she once again felt numb.

"Eat!" Lori instructed as she put her on plate down beside Abby then turned and went to get herself a wine glass and bottle of wine. After about ten minutes, everyone was laughing and talking, even Daryl was smirking and talking as the wine and whiskey did its work but Abby remained solemn although she did her best to not drag everybody's mood down, eating and sipping at her own wine.

As it were, Shane dragged to jubilant mood down instead. "So, when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, Doc?" And everyone glared at Shane in unison.

Abby stood up suddenly, her chair scrapping loudly as got up. "I'm full. You mind if I look around, Dr. Jenner?"

"I'll show you around." He said as he began to stand.

"No, I think we deserve some answers." Shane said motioning for Jenner to sit down.

"Shane, we're trying to celebrate here." Rick said. "Just let us enjoy ourselves."

"This is why we're here to get answers…isn't it?"" Shane gave Rick a challenging look.

"Oh, go blow it out of your ass, Shane!" Abby said angrily as she walked over to Rick, whom was staring up at her concerned as she approached.

"Abigail…" Rick started but Abby interrupted.

"I'm just tired, I literally haven't slept in days." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Turn that big brother brain off for a night and just enjoy yourself." Then planted a kiss on his cheek, then one on the top of Lori's and Carl's heads. "Good night everyone."

"Just go down that hall." Jenner said motioning towards a specific hall. "Just go to the end of the hall take a right, then the first left. There's a bunch of rooms down their you can use to sleep. There's a shower in each room too, should you desire to take a hot shower. If you do, just use it sparingly."

Abby gave a quick two finger salute. "Roger that." Then turned and followed Jenner's instructions and claimed a room. She quickly retrieved her things that were still sitting in the room where Dr. Jenner had drawn her blood in and brought it back to her room.

Once she had brought her stuff into her room, she stepped into the bathroom and just stared at the shower stall for many long minutes. The last time she'd had a shower was before shit had hit the fan. She had taken a couple of swims in the basin's water but that was as close to bathing she had since. Finally, after shaking her head, she undressed and turned the water on.

When she was done, she sat on the couch and stared at the wall on the other side of the room, trying her best to not think about anything. She sat there just like that for a very long time, until a knock came at the door. At first Abby ignored it but then another knock came and was followed by a young voice.

"Auntie?" Came Carl's voice.

With a sigh Abby got to her feet and opened the door. When she opened the door, Carl looked up at her expectantly. Abby manage to force a smirk on to her face. He smiled up at her for a moment then looked at her guiltily.

"Did I wake you up?" Apparently, the thought hadn't crossed his mind before he'd knocked.

"No, I was still awake. What can I do for you kiddo?" Abby asked patiently.

"There's a rec room down the hall and I want to play one of the board games but Sophia's about to go to bed and mom just wants to read. Can you play one with me?" He asked pleadingly.

Abby put her hand on his head. "Sure, kiddo but just a short game. You should be getting to bed soon too. Where's your dad?"

"Still drinking with T-Dog, Glenn and Daryl, mom says he's gonna be really hung over in the morning." Carl said as he led her down the hall.

"Yeah he probably will be but its been rough for everyone and that's how most guys like to let loose." Abby said wrapping her arm around him.

"Alcohol is gross." Carl said as he scrunched his face.

Abby actually managed to chuckle for the first time in days. "Yeah, its an acquired taste."

Abby opened the door and walked into the room, ahead of Carl, to find Shane pinning Lori against the ping pong table, she was shoving back against him but he wasn't giving in. Abby shove Carl back and whispered. "Stay!" In a fierce whisper, then closed the door and ran across the room, throwing her body as hard as she could into his, body checking him.

Shane's body slammed hard into the pinball machine, beside him, as Abby pushed off of him enough to step to the side and repeatedly hit him in the head with her fist. Suddenly two scrawny arms were pulling her back, she looked over shoulder and saw Lori there.

"That's enough, Abby." She said, her voice shaky, as she pulled Abby back. Abby put her hands up in surrender so Lori let her go.

"That's strike two, ass hole." Abby growled out at Shane.

Shane straightened up and glared at her, holding his head and ribs, then turned and walked out the opposite door she'd come in to. When he'd left, Abby turned back to Lori who had tears in her eyes and was struggling to stay in control.

"Are you okay?" Abby asked putting a hand on her arm, gently.

Lori nodded her head. "Yeah."

Abby stared at her face intently. "Tell me honestly. Were you screwing Shane before Rick came back?"

Lori looked at her in shock. "N-no! We flirted a little, I'll admit and we kissed a couple of times but that's it!"

"Well he seems to see it differently." Abby crossed her arms over chest. "He seems to think that you and Carl belong to him and _Rick_ is the interloper!"

"I was scared and lonely! Shane was there! But I swear, we didn't do anything more than kiss! The second Rick came back, it was over!" Lori started crying.

Abby grabbed her and hugged her. "I believe you." She said and after a few moments, she stepped back. "Carl's just on the other side of that other door. You're a mess, go to your room and get yourself together. I'll distract him for a little while."

Lori nodded, then exited the same door that Shane had gone out. Abby walked back to the other door and opened it, to find a worried looking Carl.

"What happened?" Carl asked.

"A mouse." Abby lied coolly.

"But I heard you cursing and saying something about a second strike!" Carl said suspiciously.

"I'm pretty sure, that was the same mouse I saw in my room when I first entered it. I tried to kill it but it got away." Abby said with a dramatic sigh.

"Did you get it?" Carl asked looking around.

"Naw, the sneaky bastard got under the door. I'll get 'em next time. Now, how about that game." Abby guided him towards the bookshelf that had the games on top of it.

A several hours later Abby woke up to another person knocking on her door, Abby rolled over and ignored it. After a few more knocks a voice came from the door.

"Abby everyone's gathering for breakfast, come whenever you're ready." Somewhat surprisingly, it was Dale.

Abby pulled her pillow out from under her and put it on top of her head muffling any potential for more sound. About another hour later, another knock came and Abby scowled at the door. This time when she didn't answer, the door opened and in came Rick with a plate of food. Abby just rolled away from him and ignored him.

"Come on, Abigail. You gotta eat, you need to keep your strength up." Rick said as he sat on the cot beside her and held the plate in front of her nose.

With a sigh Abby slowly rolled over, sat up and took the plate. After she had eaten few mouthfuls Rick spoke again.

"The doc's about to give us some answers, can you eat on the go?" He asked her.

Abby nodded and waited for him to get up before getting up herself. She handed him her plate and quickly braided her hair, so she would look at least somewhat decent, then took her plate back and followed Rick out of the door. Rick led her back to what Jenner had so aptly called the 'Big Room'. Everyone turned and nodded their greetings, then Jenner went into his spiel.

"Give me play back TS-19." Jenner said to the computer.

"Play back of TS-19." The computer responded then the screen came a live as it started loading the requested file.

"Few people ever got the chance to see this." Jenner said looking at the group, then back at the big screen which now had an outline of a head and the brain with in. "Very few." There was a timer counting up and several other things going on, on the screen.

"Is that a brain?" Carl asked.

Jenner looked at him. "An extraordinary one." He said with a slight smile, then when he looked back up at the screen, the smile faded. "Not that it mattered in the end. Take us in for an E.I.V." He instructed the computer.

The computer complied and zoomed in even more on the brain then went from the frontal view to the side view. Eventually, the brain started to look like a crisscross of what looked like a mess of wires that seemed to randomly flash in different places. Abby set her now finished plate of food, on top of the computer, on which Daryl leaned against with his forearms and sat down in a chair.

"What are those lights?" Shane asked.

"It's a person's life, experiences, memories." Jenner explained. "It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you…the thing that makes you unique and human."

"You don't make sense ever?" Daryl asked as he straightened up.

"Those are synapses," Jenner clarified "electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says, does or thinks from the moment of birth to a moment of death."

"Death?" Rick asked as he walked closer to Jenner. "That what this is? A vigil?"

Jenner studied the screen. "Yes. Or rather the playback of the vigil."

"This person died?" Andrea asked. "Who?'

"Test subject 19." Jenner said trying to sound professional but even Abby could hear some sadness in his voice. "Someone who was bitten and infected…and volunteered to have us record the process. VI, scan forward to the first event."

The computer responded and fast-forwarded the video to where Jenner had requested. Suddenly the was what looked like a black tree coming from the spine up into the brain.

"What is that?" Glenn asked in shock.

Jenner pointed up to the picture. "It invades the brain like meningitis."

Jenner went into detail about what it did but she was no doctor and she couldn't really follow what he was saying, so she watched the image in front of her as the test subject began to move and twitch, then suddenly it stopped moving and the brain went dark.

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked softly.

Carol nodded her head "Yes." She replied softly.

Abby looked over at Sophia to see if the kid was okay, instead saw that Lori and Dale were watching her carefully but Abby had her emotions clamped down tightly, she felt nothing watching MRI scan video. Amy came over to Abby and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Thank you." She whispered. Jenner looked from Lori to Dale to Amy and Abby and furrowed his brows, trying to understand what was happening.

"Abby lost somebody two days ago but she also saved Amy from being bitten." Lori explained for him.

Jenner walked over to Abby as Amy stepped back and he looked into her deadened eyes. "I've lost someone too, I know how devastating it is." When Abby didn't respond he turned back to the screen. "Scan to the second event." He ordered VI. As the computer responded to his command, he continued. "The resurrection times vary wildly. We had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours. In the case of this patient, it was two hours one minute…seven seconds." The last couple words he said so softly, they were barely heard.

Then suddenly red flashes started to appear at the stem of the brain.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked in disbelief.

"No, just the brain stem." Jenner replied. "Basically, it gets them up and moving."

"But they are not alive?" Rick asked as he approached Jenner who had moved closer to the screen.

Jenner waved his hand at the screen and looked at Rick. "You tell me."

Rick studied the screen carefully. "It's nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark."

"Dark, lifeless, dead." Jenner said.

Abby once again ignored the conversation going on around her, everyone else could get the information, she didn't really care much anymore. The only thing that mattered to her was to keep the rest of her family a live and do her best for her new friends. She only tuned back in when Daryl suddenly reacted, saying something about getting shitfaced drunk.

"Dr. Jenner," Dale said as he walked over towards a clock that Abby hadn't noticed before. "I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask you one more question, but…that clock." Dale pointed at it and everyone looked over to where Dale was pointing and Abby had been frowning at since he'd spoken his first word.

"It's counting down." Dale continued. "What happens at zero?" For once someone asked a question Abby was actually interested in and she was pretty sure she wasn't going to like the answer.

Jenner suddenly looked uncomfortable. "The basement generators—they run out of fuel."

"And then?" Rick asked, suddenly concerned. Jenner didn't respond he just turned and walked away. So, Rick asked. "VI, what happens when the power runs out?"

"When the power runs out, a facility wide decontamination will occur." The computer responded.

Rick, Glenn, Abby and Shane all ran down to the hall where Glenn had seen a stairwell leading down. Sure, enough there was a sign that read: _Generators_ and pointed down. As they ran down the stairs Glenn asked. "What does 'decontamination' mean?"

"It means a firey death." Abby said and Rick who was immediately in front of her stopped dead in his tracks and she ran into the back of him hard, knocking him into the wall.

"What the hell, Rick!" She growled as she rubbed her shoulder.

"Sorry but are serious?" He asked as he straightened up again. Abby looked over her shoulder at Glenn and Shane who were both staring at her in shock.

"Yes, I'm serious. This place is literally going to blow up." She replied frowning.

"Why the hell would they do that? What about all the research they've done here?" Shane asked.

"That exactly why they would! They researched highly deadly and contagious diseases, if even _some_ of that shit gets out, walkers may be the least of our concerns!" The others didn't respond. "They're going to blow this place into oblivion."

Rick turned and ran even faster down the stairs. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Rick quickly consulted a map at the bottom of the stairs, then ran in the direction he thought they needed to go. He opened the door and they entered into what looked like an utility room.

"Shane, Glenn, check that way. Abigail, with me." Rick ordered.

Abby and Rick wandered through their side of the room and eventually came to the generator which wasn't sounding too healthy. Rick pushed on the fuel barrel that was attached to the generator.

"It's empty." Rick said grimly.

Then suddenly the lights flickered and went out. "Emergency lights on." The computer said over the intercom.

"Shit!" Abby exclaimed. "Rick, we need to get out of here now!"

"Did you guys turn the lights out?" Glenn asked.

"No, they just went out." Rick said. "Come on, we're leaving." Rick turned and followed after Abby who was already making her way to the steps.

When then reached the big room, everyone was following Jenner out into the big room. Abby heard Lori call Rick's name but had her sights set on Jenner. She ran straight at him and threw a hard, right hook, landing square on his jaw.

"You son of a bitch!" She screamed at him as he sprawled on the ground.

Rick ran up behind her and pulled her back. "That don't help anything!" He growled in her ear. He shoved her towards Shane and Shane reached to grab her but she swatted his hand away from her and gave him a death glare. She turned back to Rick and he was pointing at her. "Calm. Down." He said to her coolly.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, she hated when he used that voice on her, like she was still ten. Then turned and ran up the stairs to where Lori and most of the other women still stood.

"Everyone grab your shit, we're leaving NOW!" She yelled at them as she ran to her room. She heard Rick talking to Jenner but she didn't care what was being said. She hadn't really unpacked to begin with, so she just strapped on her pistol and pulled the strap of her backpack on to her shoulder as well as Merle's sniper rifle which she had adopted as her own, and then ran down the hall to where Lori was hurriedly shoving things into bags. Abby went into the room and hurriedly assisted Lori, then picked up one bag and grabbed Lori's hand and hauled her quickly out of the room and down the hall.

By the time they reached the big room again, Rick had two assault rifles in hand and a military grade sniper rifle over his shoulder. Rick nodded when everyone was gathered and ran for the door.

"There's no point!" Jenner shouted after them as he sat in the chair. Everyone stopped and looked at him. "You can't get out! Its sealed! Top side, its sealed. I told you, once those doors are closed, they stay closed."

Daryl trotted back, a bottle of whiskey clutched in one hand and this other clenched in a fist. "Then open it!" He growled as he grabbed Jenner by the shirt.

Rick and Shane pulled Daryl off of Jenner as he pushed back against the angry red neck. "I can't!" He said when Daryl released him. "The computers are in control now, when it hits thirty minutes then we'll be he critical failure and that's…" Jenner looked at the clock. "Less then five minutes."

"We'll find away." Abby said. "We always do, come on ya'll we don't have time for this!"

Abby trotted down the hall and when she reached the end, she pushed the up button of the elevator but nothing happened. Abby cursed under breath and turned around.

"This way." Daryl said as he spotted the stairwell.

Rick picked up Carl and Shane scooped up Sophia but she suddenly looked terrified. Abby reached out for her. "Give her here!"

"We need to move fast!" He said to Abby.

"I outpaced my brother, Daryl and T-Dog by at least five minutes back to camp. I used to carry eighty pounds of gear on a regular basis, I can hand twelve-year-old girl." Abby growled as she pulled Sophia out of his arms. Sophia immediately clung to Abby's neck.

Shane gave up and ran up the stairs after everyone else. Someone touched her arm, "Thank you." Carol whispered then followed Shane up the stairs. Abby looked to see if everyone had left and saw Jacqui standing with Jenner at the end of the hall.

"GO!" Jacqui shouted when she saw Abby looking at her. "I'm staying here!"

"But you'll die!" Abby shouted back.

"I know! Go!" Jacqui shouted again.

Abby turned and ran up those stairs as fast as her legs could carry her, she quickly caught up to a huffing and puffing Carol and T-Dog. She grabbed Carol's hand and practically hauled the woman after her. By the time Abby made it up the stair with Carol and Sophia, Rick and Shane were banging on the door with the butt of their rifles. T-Dog ran up to the pin pad they'd seen Jenner using and started hitting buttons. When that didn't work Daryl and Shane started hacking at the door with a couple of axes.

"Daryl! Look out!" T-Dog shouted as he ran up with a chair and started smashing it against the glass. Abby put Sophia down next to her mother then ran over to Rick and grabbed the sniper rifle from his shoulder. She cocked it then shouted, "Step a side and cover your ears!"

The boys jumped down from the window as she took aim and fire three consecutive shots. The glass spidered from the point of impact but didn't shatter. They started beating on it again but they didn't seem to make much more of a difference and Rick had failed to gather more bullets for the sniper rifle. Suddenly Carol's face lit up and started rummaging through her bag.

"Rick, I think I have something that might help." Carol said as she rummaged.

"Carol, I don't think a nail file's gonna do it." Shane said sarcastically.

"Your first mornin' at the camp," Carol said ignoring Shane. "When I washed your uniform, I found this in your pocket." She held out a grenade out in a shaky hand.

Rick grabbed the grenade and Abby shouted for everyone to take cover, as he ran up to the window and carefully placed it in front of the fracture Abby had created with the sniper rifle. He pulled the pin and quickly ran for his life, less then a second after he made it to cover, it blew.

They all quickly got to their feet and rushed for the now open window. Rick, Daryl and Shane covered them while T-Dog and Abby helped the remaining group climb out of the window. Abby slung the second sniper rifle over her shoulder and pulled out her pistol and started shouting at them to move while covering the rear of the group as they ran for the vehicles.

Once they were finally in the vehicles, Daryl shouted at her. "Come on! Let's go!" And she finally climbed into his truck and they all started rolling away. They were just turning around and heading back when a loud boom shook their vehicles and they all watched and the building crumble in upon itself.

* * *

So? Tell me what you love or hate about my story so far, I'd love to hear about your thoughts!

-Shockra


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter! Thanks to elljayde for my first review! I'm glad you're enjoying it thus far!

* * *

The sun had begun to set and they hadn't yet left the city, so Rick drove the suburban down into a residential area that looked like it was probably Atlanta's version of the projects. When they came to a stop in front a big brick house, Rick, Shane, Daryl and Abby all carefully approached the building and went inside. They carefully went from room to room to make sure there were no walkers present and when it was clear, everyone quickly went in side with their things and covered up the windows.

"Anybody think to grab food before we left." Abby asked as she sat down on the sofa next Carl and Sophia.

Daryl grabbed his bag and emptied out six cans of food, several bottles of water, some powdered food and two bottles of whiskey. Carol apparently had the presence of mind to grab food as well but there was only enough food to feed them for another three or four days if they rationed.

"We need more food." Abby said with a sigh.

"What we need is a plan!" Shane said in irritation. "When can't just camp out here and hope for the best!"

"We don't plan on staying here Shane, but we do need to collect supplies also." Rick said trying to calm Shane down.

"And _I_ think we should head out to Fort Benning in the morning!" He said standing up and starting to pace.

"How?" Andrea asked annoyed. "We're almost out of fuel, we barely got any food or water. Rick and Abby are right, we need supplies first!" Everyone nodded or murmured in agreement.

"Fine, do whatever you want but we ain't stayin' here past a couple nights." Shane said before storming upstairs.

"What flew up his ass." Daryl growled as he eyed up one of the bottles of whiskey. "So, where do we plan on gettin' supplies?" He asked.

"I saw a grocery store a couple blocks back, maybe there's still some supplies left in there." Lori suggested.

"Its worth a try." Rick said with a nod of approval. "A couple of us can check out the grocery store while some others can check the houses on the block for more supplies. We also need fuel so we can check the other cars on the block."

"My trucks transmission needs replacin', has been a problem for sometime but its about to crap out. We can siphon the fuel outta it, I'll jus' drive the chopper." Daryl said as he stabbed his big hunting knife into a can of food and opened it, then handed it over to Carol.

Rick nodded his head. "It'd probably be a good idea to give up Shane's jeep and T-Dog's van. They both chug fuel and Shane's jeep can't hold too many people. So, we'll siphon the gas outta those two as well."

"I'll go to the grocery store." Glenn offered. "I'm probably the best one to travel that far."

"Alright but you ain't goin' a lone." Rick said looking around the group.

"I'll go with Glenn." T-Dog offered.

"Alright then you two go to the grocery store while Daryl, Shane, Dale, Abigail and I will check the houses." Rick continued.

"I'll help to." Andrea offered. "That'll make it an even six, we can check the houses in pairs that way."

"That's a good idea. Alright everyone, eat and then get some sleep. We'll need a watch in case of trouble. Daryl, you mind takin' the first watch? I'll relieve you in a couple hours." Rick asked as he turned to Daryl.

Daryl shrugged. "Fine by me."

The next morning, Abby pulled Dale to the side. "I want you to go with Rick." Abby told him.

Dale frowned as he looked at her. "Why?"

"You saw what I saw in the woods, Shane can't be trusted to be alone with him." Abby explained.

"Why can't you go with him? He'd rather spend time with you." Dale replied with a quirked eyebrow.

"That's the problem, he'll want to talk to me and I ain't ready to talk to him." Abby shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"Fine but you can't avoid your brother forever. You're not planning on going with Shane, are you?" Dale asked.

Abby scoffed. "No, he's as likely to try an' kill me now as he is to try and kill Rick."

After Glenn and T-Dog had walked off, the six gathered out of the front door for a brief meeting. They were all armed but today, Abby left her sniper rifle behind and opted for one of the two assault rifles that Rick had grabbed, while Rick had the other assault rifle, Shane had his tactical shotgun, Dale had his rifle, Daryl had his crossbow and Andrea just had her pistol. No one felt comfortable with giving her a high-powered weapon since she could barely use her pistol.

"Andrea, why don't you go with Shane." Abby suggested. "Dale can go with Rick and I'll go with Daryl. We'll take the four houses at the end, Shane and Andrea take the middle four and Rick and Dale can take these last four."

"Yes ma'am, Sergeant King!" Rick joked as he raised his eyebrows and the others laughed at his comment.

"Shut up, Rick." Abby grumbled.

"But it _is_ a good idea." Dale interjected. "Placing Andrea and I, with you two more experienced officers is a good idea. I don't think Abby here, is quite up to chatting with people and Daryl won't bother her with questions she doesn't want to answer."

Rick winced at Dale's remark about Abby, knowing full well that Dale was referring to him. "Alright, should be fine. Let's get going and everyone, be safe."

They all walked down the street and each pair broke off as they approached their first house until it was just Daryl and Abby. Abby let Daryl take the lead as they approached the first house and raised her assault rifle as Daryl approached the porch and looked through the front widow, then the window of the door. Abby grabbed the door knob and looked to Daryl who counted down from three with his fingers and when he reached one, Abby quickly swung the door open. And nothing happened.

Daryl wrapped his knuckles on the front door frame and waited for the telltale sign of a walker but heard nothing, so they slowly crept in side. Immediately on their right was a small living room and on their left, was a dining room that connected to the kitchen. A precursory glance told them that the living room was empty as it was basically just four walls and a couple of chairs with a tv. So, they walked quietly walked into the dining room and followed the room into the kitchen which lead back to the hall. small half bath and the steps that led upstairs.

They quietly crept up the stairs, doing their best to not make them squeak. The second floor consisted of just two bedrooms and a bathroom which they quickly cleared. Once it was evident that there wasn't any people or walkers within the house, the two of them relaxed.

"I'll take the other bedroom." Daryl offered and when she nodded in agreement, he turned and walked out.

The room she presently stood in, must have been a teens room, with all the band posters and the tiny single bed. Just like she thought, there was nothing of interest in the room, besides a couple comics that Abby thought Carl would enjoy. She moved on to the bathroom and found a bottle of aspirin, a small first aid kit and some prescription pills. Abby, didn't know what they were but thought someone might. She walked downstairs and found Daryl already rummaging through the cupboards. He glanced over his should at her.

"You find anythin'?" He asked.

"Just some first aid stuff, you?" She asked as she joined him, then saw five cans on the counter in front of him. "Nice. Another couple of days worth of food. You check the fridge?"

"Naw, was afraid what kind of smell'd come outta there." Daryl said as he moved on to the next cupboard.

"Point taken, we'll leave that for last." She replied as she squatted down and started in on the bottom cupboards.

After a moment of silence Daryl started talking again. "You an' Shane only seem to be gettin' more and more hostile towards each other. Anything I should know?"

Abby paused what she was doing and looked up at him. Then she stood up and sighed. "Shane may have attempted to kill Rick or at least thought about it seriously."

"What?" Daryl growled. "What do you mean, 'may have'?"

Abby leaned back against the counter and rubbed her head as a head ache started to form. "When I went with them and Dale to check the perimeter, the day before we left. Dale and I came up on Shane holdin' Rick in his sights, he _had_ to know it was him. _I_ could tell it was Rick from several feet behind Shane. Put a gun to Shane's head but he claimed he thought Rick was a walker, so I told him if anything ever happened to Rick, I'd put a bullet in his head."

"Shit." Daryl said as he shook his head.

"Oh, that's not all." Abby continued. "When were at the CDC, after supper. Carl wanted me to play a board game with him so when I went to the rec room with, I found Shane forcing himself onto Lori. I closed the door in Carl's face, tackled the asshole to the ground and beat the crap out of him and told him the next strike he'd be dead."

"So, you did that too him?" Daryl smirked slightly.

"Yup, that was me." She admitted.

"Figured the ass hole was lyin', but didn't know why." Daryl shook his head in disgust. "Rick know?"

"No and I plan on keeping it that way for now." Abby said firmly. "Surviving is more important right now."

"Well, if he has his way, you and Rick won't be survivin' nothin'." Daryl pointed out.

"Well I know what he did, Dale knows and now you know, hopefully that'll be enough to prevent him from murdering either one of us. I did warn Rick about Shane's behavior, so he does know he's unstable." Abby put in.

"Better hope that's enough." Daryl said as he started putting the cans of food in his backpack.

"It'll have to be for now." Abby responded as she slid her pack onto her back.

"Let's go check the other houses." Daryl said as he moved towards the front door.

By the end of the day, they had collected enough food to feed everyone for the next three weeks but they hadn't really found a lot of water. When Rick told Shane that we'd be abandoning his Jeep, he wasn't too happy but agreed that they need less vehicles and more fuel. The following morning, they went to every car that remained on the block and siphoned all the remaining fuel out of the cars; getting enough to get them about half way to their destination which they had decided on being Fort Benning.

Just before mid day, they all crammed into the two vehicles while Daryl was a lone on his bike. As they had been siphoning gas, Daryl had asked Abby if she'd be riding with him.

Abby forced a smirk on to her face. "I don't think that's a good idea. Rick might decide he don't like you much."

"On the other hand, you get stuck with Andrea, Amy and Dale. All of whom don't seem capable of keeping their noses in their own business." Daryl stated with some bitterness.

Abby wondered what they could possibly be bothering him about. "I'll survive, I'm a little more used to people stickin' their nose into my business. PTSD, remember. I had head shrinks asking me all sort of uncomfortable questions for months!" They were silent for a moment then Abby added. "That ain't no, 'I'll never catch a ride with you', I'll probably need a breather at some point…maybe you'll change places with me and let me drive!" For the first time since Martin died she gave a genuine smile.

"Tch, in yer dreams girly." Daryl scoffed but she could see a slight twinkle in his eye. "Thought you didn't like choppers?"

"I don't but don't mean I don't want to drive it." Abby chuckled slightly.

"Well I'll give you a ride but you ain't drivin' my bike!" Daryl said firmly.

So, Abby, Glenn, T-Dog, Amy, Andrea and Shane, all crammed into Dale's RV and bounced down the highway together. Glenn was the only one fortunate enough to get a seat while Andrea and Amy sat at one side of the table and Shane on the other and T-Dog and Abby sat uncomfortably in the back, in silence. Shane was telling Andrea and Amy about gun maintenance and their gun in particular when Dale said. "Oh geez." And rolled to a stop.

Abby stood up from her uncomfortable spot on the bed and walked to the front to see what was happening. When she looked through the windshield she saw a semi turned on its side, blocking most of the road and other vehicles also congested the highway on both sides. Daryl turned back and rolled up to Dale's window.

"See a way through?" Dale asked him.

Daryl nodded then indicated a direction with his head and turned around once more. Dale weaved his way through the cars following Daryl, Glenn suggested turning back as they went. They had been weaving through the stalled cars for about five minutes when steam shot out from the front of the RV.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Abby said in irritation. If Dale's RV hadn't been virtually a house on wheels, Abby would have suggested they take T-Dog's van instead. It was infinitely more reliable and had room enough for all of them. Abby slammed the door open in frustration, as she exited the RV and slumped against a car.

"I said it, didn't I? A thousand times. Dead in the water." Dale said miserably.

"A problem Dale?" Rick asked as he came up with Lori, Carl, Sophia and Carol.

"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no hope of—" Dale paused as Daryl came around a car and started rummaging. "Okay, that was dumb."

"If you can't find a radiator hose here…" Daryl said as he looked at the things he was pulling out of the hatch of the station wagon. "There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find."

"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-Dog offered then grabbed a couple of jerrycans and a hose.

"Maybe some water." Carol added.

"Some food." Glenn also put in.

"This is a graveyard." Lori said morbidly and she wasn't entirely wrong. There were dead bodies every where, but this was a matter of survival. Everyone looked at each other uncomfortably. "I don't know how I feel about this." She added

Daryl looked back to what he was doing, while T-Dog saw something and walked forward "Alright, alright, here we go! Come on y'all. Just look around, gather what you can."

Rick went and grabbed the sniper rifle she'd been using, since she'd taken it from Merle, from Abby and handed her of the Assault Rifle. "Stick close to Lori and Carl, I'll keep watch."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Abby asked slightly annoyed. "You know, me being a _professiona_ l sniper and all and them being _your_ wife and son."

"Abigail, please. I don't want to argue with you right now." Rick said with a tired sigh.

Abby through her hands up in defeat. "Fine." Then turned and walked over to where Lori was timidly looking in vehicles but not actually touching anything. Carol came up behind Lori and looked in the window she was preoccupied with then turned back to where Carl and Sophia were quietly talking to each other.

"Kids, don't look." Carol told them.

Abby followed closely behind but would actually stop at trunk of a car and look in it or open glove boxes, in which she found three revolvers and four boxes of ammo that would have been missed by Lori and Carol. Corpses didn't really bother her anymore, war had desensitised her to the view.

After skipping several cars, Lori and Carol finally started looking through things but stuck to the trunks of cars with no dead people in them. Further down the highway Abby heard Glenn laugh, when she looked in their direction, she saw Shane wasting a huge five-gallon jug of water, on pouring over his head. Well at least they had water now. Then out of the corner of her eye, Abby saw Rick running towards them and Dale flattening himself on the top of the RV.

Abby ran forward and shoved Carl down and under a car, then ran over to Sophia and pulled her down. Lori saw what she was doing and grabbed Carol and the two of them crawled under a car further up. Abby slid in beside Sophia while Rick slid under the far side of Carl. Abby rubbed Sophia's back trying to keep the girl calm while walker after walker started shuffling by. It felt like it took hours for the constant flow of walkers to walk by but in reality, is was probably more like minutes. While they waited Abby worried about the others, they hadn't had the time to warn them but she hadn't heard any screams, so she hoped they were okay.

When no more walked by Abby stuck her head out and that was a mistake. She heard a growl and pulled back just in time to avoid being grabbed by the hair. The walker got on its hands and knees and start reaching. "Go!" She hissed at Sophia as she tried to scoot away from the walker. Abby tried to kick it awkwardly but only nicked its leg as she tried get to the other side of the truck they were under.

Abby was very tempted to shoot it but the sound would carry and bring the herd of walkers back and it might be the death for everyone. Sophia finally made it out from under the truck but saw another walker coming and continued to crawl under the meridian and ran down the hill on the other side. As Abby got to her feet on the other side of the truck, she pulled the out big knife she'd gotten from the military and ran up to the second walker and plunged the blade deep into its skull before pulling it out and running after Sophia.

Abby ran as hard as she could, trying to follows the little girls trail, with the first walker hot on her trail. Abby quickly wheeled around and ran at the walker and plunged her blade into its skull, shoved it off her blade then continued on following Sophia. Some how Rick had managed to beat her to Sophia and he turned and looked ready to run, while Sophia crawled under the tangle of roots. When he saw it was her, he sighed in relief.

"She okay?" Abby asked as she climbed down into the creek.

"Yeah I think so. The other walker?" Rick asked.

"Dead." Abby said as she sloshed towards them.

"Okay, I'm gonna go a head and make sure no other walkers are following." Rick said as he helped Sophia out from the roots. "You two wait here for a minute then follow."

"Alright, here." Abby turned the handle of her knife towards him.

"No, you might need it." Rick said shaking his head.

"I have a back up." She said as she reached into her boot and pulled out what was meant to be a throwing knife but would do the job as a stabbing knife. Rick sighed and took her larger blade and crawled up the embankment.

Abby turned back to Sophia and reached out her hand. Sophia grabbed hold of it tightly and looked up at her with frightened eyes. "You're gonna be okay. I'll get you back to your mama." Abby said soothingly as she gently stroked the girls face.

"I believe you." She said confidently.

They waited for a minute like Rick had instructed, then Abby helped Sophia up the embankment and they quietly made their way through the forest. Half way back to the highway, they stopped when the saw six walkers stumbling towards them, blocking their path to the highway. Abby looked around to see if Rick was near but he was no where's to be seen, so she picked Sophia up then turned tail and ran.

Abby knew she could not take on six walkers on her own, especially with a scared little girl with her and she couldn't afford to use her pistol which was still on her hip; it'd only make the situation worse. Abby tripped and nearly tumbled forward but managed to catch herself. She quickly shot a glance over her shoulder and saw that she was starting to lose the small herd of walkers but they were still coming and close enough to be a danger.

Sweat poured down Abby's neck and back, as the humidity was getting ridiculously high but Abby forced her body to keep pushing forward. Abby started angling herself to the left, trying to make a subtle turn back towards the highway but they seemed to be only getting further away.

Suddenly they broke through the tree line into a clearing with a small house. Abby ran up to the door, put Sophia down and rattled the door knob but it didn't open. Abby looked behind her, she couldn't see the walkers but she could hear them growling hungrily, just beyond the tree line. Abby grabbed Sophia's hand.

"I need you to run for a while. We're slowing getting away from those walkers but we need to start circling back to the others and I'm gonna run out of steam if I keep carryin' you in this heat." Abby whispered to her.

Sophia nodded her head. "Okay." She said softly.

Abby lead her to the far side of the building, out of sight of the walkers and watched as the walkers slowly emerged from the trees. They continued on the path they had last seen the two of them running and eventually disappeared into the trees on the other side of the clearing. Abby trotted with Sophia back into the trees and started walking back the way they had come.

Abby hadn't realized how long they had been running until she looked up and realized that the sun was starting to sink, they had maybe three hours of daylight. They weren't going to make it back to the others before the daylight faded. They continued to walk which gave Abby some time to catch her breath but she was desperately thirsty and they were miles away from that stream they'd seen earlier in the day.

Abby stopped and looked around herself, trying to get a better take on her environment, which is when she saw something bright green off in the distance. Abby grabbed Sophia's hand and walked towards it. When they were close, Abby saw that it was a tent with its flap slightly open. Abby turned back to Sophia again.

"We're not going to make it back to the others before night fall and we can't be stumbling through the woods at night. I'm going to check that tent and if its clear, we're going to spend the night here. You stay right here! Don't move!" Abby said firmly.

Sophia nodded her head. Abby pulled out her knife from her boot and slowly approached the tent. When she got close to the door, she let out a short whistle, then waited. When nothing happened, Abby quickly opened the door and took a step back when the smell hit her. In the middle of the tent was folding chair with a corpse sitting in it, the chair turned away from the door. When Abby stepped in she looked at the dead man and saw that he'd blown his brains out with the pistol that was still in his hand.

Abby stepped back out of the tent and walked over to Sophia. "I'm gonna clean out that tent but I need you too turn and look in the other direction, okay?"

"Okay." Sophia answered and then turned around.

Abby went back to the tent, grabbed the back of the chair and pulled it to the door and hoisted it out. She dragged it back into the woods, out of sight from the campsite, took gun clutched in the mans hand and walked back to the camp site. There was a spare shirt in the tent and Abby used it to wipe the blood off the walls as best she could.

"Alright you can turn around." Abby called quietly.

Sophia turned around and walked over to Abby, then covered her face as the stench hit her. "It stinks!"

"I know, we got an hour of daylight; we'll let it air out for a while." Abby said and patted the ground beside her.

As Sophia sat down beside her, Abby opened one of the two coolers that sat beside the door and found several bottles of water. Abby let out a relieved sigh and handed one to Sophia.

"Drink, sweet heart." She ordered her gently. Sophia nodded and opened the bottle and drank.

Abby followed her own advice and opened her own bottle and chugged half the bottle down before turning back to the other cooler and opened it up. Inside there were three cans of pork n' beans and one of green beans. Abby chuckled and Sophia looked at her questioningly.

"Today is our lucky day!" Abby pulled out the green beans and one of pork n' beans and showed them to Sophia. "Which one do you want?" Sophia smiled slightly and pointed to the green beans. "Well your mama would be proud." Abby said as she looked around and noticed a can opener on a plate on the other side of Sophia. "Can you hand me that?" She asked as she indicated it.

When Sophia handed it to Abby, she opened it for Sophia and handed it to her. Sophia picked up the fork that was also on the plate and started scooping the food into her mouth. Abby opened her can and started scooping the contents into her mouth with her fingers. When she was done, she wiped her hands on the ground then took the cans and put them further into the forest.

For a little while the two just sat there in front of the tent in silence but when the sun began to set, she indicated for Sophia to get in side. When they both crawled inside and Abby was about to close the door when Sophia touched her arm.

"Can we use that lamp?" She asked hopefully.

"No, honey, it might draw walkers over here. I'm sorry but I'll be with you all night, I won't let anyone hurt you okay?" Abby turned and zipped the flap closed.

The two of them laid down and Abby wrapped her arms around Sophia and the two drifted off to sleep. In the morning, Abby woke to the sound of birds chirping all around them. Abby shook Sophia awake, gently. Sophia slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them then lurched into an upright position. Abby put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Its alright, sweet heart. Its just me." Sophia settled down immediately. "Let's eat and head back to the highway, okay?"

"What if they're not there?" She asked suddenly afraid.

"Oh, honey. They'll be there. There's no way that my brother and your mother would let them leave with out us." Abby assured her.

They crawled out of the tent and sat on the ground outside of it and ate the last two cans of pork 'n beans. When they were done eating, Abby grabbed the bottles of water wrapped them up in a big kerchief and tied them to her belt, then grabbed Sophia's hand and they started walking.

Through out the morning they had to dodge three walkers but by mid after noon, Abby could see the highway. Abby let go of Sophia's hand and turned her back to the girl.

"Come on, I'll give you a piggy back. It'll be easier for you to get up to that highway." Abby said as she squatted down.

"Okay." She said and climbed onto Abby's back.

"Hold on tight. I'll need my hands." Abby instructed Sophia.

"Okay." She repeated.

Abby continued to the highway and started climbing up the steep embankment. After about five minutes of struggling up the side, she finally reached the edge and hauled her self over it. Sophia jumped off her back and they looked around. They were on the highway but they had come on it in a different spot. Abby looked from side to side then sighed with relief when she spotted Dale's RV in the distance and on top of it was a waving Dale.

Abby smiled and pointed Dale out to Sophia, who looked at him excitedly. Abby grabbed her hand and they jogged together towards them. As they round the last truck, Dale climbed down the ladder while T-Dog came running up and surprised Abby with a hug.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see the two of you!" T-Dog said as he stepped back.

Abby was about to ask about the others when she saw T-Dog's arm. "What happened to you?" She asked as she grabbed his arm.

"Don't worry, I wasn't bit. Like a dumb ass I raked my arm along some sharp metal, trying to hide from those walkers." T-Dog said with a sigh.

Sophia looked around then turned to Dale. "Where's my mom?"

Abby looked to Dale too. "They're looking for you. They left this morning, I'm sure they'll be back in a few hours."

"Did Rick make it back?" Abby asked suddenly worried.

"Don't worry, he's fine. Daryl's in charge of finding you two. They tracked you for a long way but it got dark. Figured you musta been carryin' Sophia, said your track were too deep for a woman your size." T-Dog said as he winced. "That and there were only one set that was runnin' while those walker's tracks were shufflin'."

"Why don't you two go and rest inside." Dale said as he took Abby and Sophia shoulder's and directed them towards the door. Abby went in side and led Sophia to the back of the RV and got her to lie down.

"You probably didn't sleep well last night. Why don't you take a nap and maybe, by the time you wake up, your mom will be back." Abby said softly.

Sophia nodded and closed her eyes as Abby pulled a blanket up to her chin, she waited for her breathing to slow before getting up again and walking back outside. Abby leaned against the RV next to T-Dog and Dale who were chatting idly. Abby frowned when she inspected T-Dog a little more closely and noticed him sweating profusely. It was pretty hot outside but even so, he seemed to be sweating excessively and his eyes seemed a little glazed, so Abby reached up and touched his forehead.

T-Dog frowned and pulled a way. "Can I help you?" He asked sounding annoyed.

Abby frowned and held out her hand. "Let me see your arm, T-Dog." She said firmly.

"I told you, I ain't bit." He said firmly.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Abby replied still holding out her hand.

T-Dog sighed in annoyance and held out his injured arm. Curious, Dale watched as Abby peeled back the bandage and revealed T-Dog's wound, T-Dog flinching as she rolled the bandage back.

"Is it me or does that look like blood poisoning?" Dale asked Abby.

"What?" T-Dog asked in shock.

"Yeah it does. We need some antibiotics." Abby said with a sigh.

Suddenly, T-Dog started to laugh, and Dale and Abby looked at him in concern. "Oh man. Wouldn't that be the way? World gone to hell, the dead risen up to eat the living, and Theodore Douglas gets done in by a cut on his arm." T-Dog laughed some more. "Yeah, that would be—that would be stupid."

"You ain't found any antibiotics?" Abby asked Dale.

"Nope, haven't found any ampicillin or nothing! In this whole entire place." Dale said with the shake of his head.

Abby grabbed T-Dog's shoulder. "Go lie down, the faster your heart pumps, the faster the infection spreads. Resting may help slow the infection from spreading."

T-Dog sighed. "Alright." Then stood up and walked up the steps of the RV.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed it!

-Shockra


	7. Chapter 7

Hey! I'm glad I'm finally getting reviews! It makes me so happy! Thank you imlovinfanfic, Angel Wing00 and ThreeDarkAngels for your reviews!

* * *

The sun was dipping behind the horizon as Abby spotted, Daryl crawling over the rail followed by Carol, Glenn, Andrea and Amy. When their eyes made met, Daryl looked extremely shocked at first then he smirked, at that moment Carol saw Abby and cried out in relief.

"Is she here? Is my baby with you?" She cried as she ran towards Abby.

Sophia must have heard her mothers voice because she came running down the RV's steps crying, "Mommy!" And she ran into her mother's outstretched arms.

"The hell you go?" Daryl asked. "Lost your track at that tent."

"And yet you still found me." Abby said returning his smirk as they approached. She then looked into the forest from where they had emerged. "Where's Rick? Or Shane, Lori or _Carl_?" Suddenly panic rose up in her throat and Daryl's expression didn't help her as he suddenly looked uncomfortable.

Glenn came over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Rick, Shane and Lori are fine but…"

Abby grabbed his shoulders fiercely as he paused "but _what_!?" She asked fiercely. "Where's Carl!"

Andrea gently grabbed her shoulder. "A woman on a horse said that Carl was shot while he was with Rick and Shane, she grabbed Lori and told us where to find them. That's all we know."

"He's been _shot_! By whom?" Abby nearly felt suffocated by her panic.

"They said he was alive." Amy said coming up beside her, trying to soothe her.

"Alright everyone. Pack everythin' up, we'll go to that place the lady was talkin' about and see what's happenin'." Daryl said firmly. Abby nodded as did everyone else and they all hurriedly shoved everything they found into the vehicles and Abby jumped behind the wheel of Carol's vehicle as Carol and Sophia joined her and turned it around and followed Daryl as he cruised by her.

They had driven only for a few minutes before turning down a dirt road, that turned into a driveway. The sky turned dark as the came to a stop at the gate, Daryl got off his bike, opened it, pushed his bike through the gate and off to the side then indicated for the others to roll through. Abby watched in rear view mirror as he closed the gate then got back onto his bike and followed after them.

After a few bends in the road, a lit-up house came into view. When she came to a stop, she jumped out of the car and practically ran up the stairs then burst into the house.

"Lori! Rick?" She called anxiously.

Rick appeared in a doorway. "Oh my god, Abigail!" Rick said in shock, tears starting to form. Abby ran into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Is Sophia okay?"

"Yeah. Did Carl really get shot?" A tear rolled down her cheek.

Rick bowed his head. "Yeah it was a hunting accident. Carl was watching a deer when their friend, Otis, shot it and the bullet passed through the deer and hit Carl. He didn't know Carl was even there."

"Oh my god!" Abby exclaimed as she put a hand to her mouth.

"He's holding on for now but Hershel is needing a particular piece of medical equipment, so Shane and Otis went to get it. We're waiting on them to come back." Rick explained to her then led her back into the room he'd come from. Lori stood up and hugged her, as she stepped in. Abby couldn't take her eyes of the ghostly white figure that was Carl, laying unconscious on the bed.

"This is my sister, Abigail. We're the same blood type, she can give blood too if you need." Rick said introducing her to the old man she assumed was Hershel.

"Yes, absolutely!" Abby agreed.

"No conditions I should be aware of?" Hershel asked.

"Nothing that'd affects my blood, just a bit of PTSD. Ex-soldier." She said quickly.

"Well, it's a good thing you came when you did, it'd be dangerous if I pulled anymore blood from Rick. Patricia, could you pull some more blood from miss Grimes here?" Hershel said as he looked at the other woman in the room.

The blonde-haired woman stood up then escorted Abby out of the room and into the dining room where everyone else now was waiting. Patricia looked a little shocked at the suddenly full room but guided Abby to a chair and grabbed a contraption that Abby didn't recognize.

"How is he?" Andrea asked as Abby sat down.

Abby put her arm on the table and looked at the others. She still felt anxious but at least she was doing something to help. "Not good, he's holding on though. Rick and I have the same blood type as Carl but Rick's been tapped out, so now its my turn."

"Otis and your friend, Shane, are getting a respirator so we can operate on Carl." Patricia said as she wrapped tight cloth around her arm, cutting off her circulation. "He's a tough boy."

"Is Carl going to die?" Sophia asked sadly, looking straight at Abby.

"I hope not." Abby said softly.

"If you need anything, we're here." Carol said sincerely.

"How about we all set up camp outside, get out of these people's way." Dale suggested to their group.

"Yeah that's a good idea, it'll give us something to do while we wait." Amy agreed.

Everyone but Daryl and Dale turned and left, when they were gone Dale looked a Patricia. "You wouldn't happen to have any antibiotic, would ya?" He asked her. "Our friend is cut real bad and I think the wounds infected."

"You talkin' 'bout T-Dog?" Daryl asked and Dale nodded. "Well why didn't you say so?" Then Daryl turned and marched out the door. Dale frowned but followed him out.

"You've got quite the colorful assortment of friends there." Patricia commented indicating the door with her head.

"We just got thrown together, really. You just learn to live with the others…quirks. Most of them are good people, though." Abby said as she watched the blood flow from her arm. "Are you a nurse or something? Cus' T-Dog could use some attention too."

"Or something. I can sew him up, that gentle man said something about a cut?" Patricia inquired.

"Yeah its pretty bad. He said he cut it on a car door or something." Abby replied.

Patricia looked up at the girl that Abby hadn't noticed was still standing in the door way. "Maggie, why don't you get me their friend? I'm almost done her with miss Grimes."

Maggie turned and disappeared outside. "Its King actually, Abby King. Grimes would be my maiden name. I am…or I was married." Abby said when Maggie had left.

Patricia looked up at her, sympathy plain on her face. "I'm sorry, did he die recently?" She asked softly then looked down as she pulled the needle out of her arm.

"Just a few days ago." Abby whispered, as she struggled to deaden her feelings again.

Patricia put a hand on her arm. "I am so sorry."

Just then Maggie came in with T-Dog, who looked really pale and sickly. Abby got up as Patricia handed the bag of blood to Maggie. "Give that to your dad." She instructed Maggie, then indicated for T-Dog to sit in the chair that Abby had just vacated.

Abby left the house, going out onto the porch and watched as Glenn, Dale and Daryl all set up the tents they had brought with them, while Andrea and Amy struggled to get a fire burning as Carol and Sophia brought out people's bags. They had parked the RV and made camp quite some distance from the house but even in the dim light of the porch light she could still make everyone out in with the assistance of the front porches light. Abby would've walked over and helped but she suddenly felt faint and light head, like she might lose her beans if she moved any further, so she sat down in a chair heavily and put her head between her hands.

"Here." A voice said off to the side, startling Abby, she hadn't heard anybody approach.

Maggie held out a glass of orange juice to her. "Patricia forgot to give this too you. It'll help with the light headedness."

Abby took the glass and immediately emptied the contents into her mouth then handed the cup back to Maggie. Maggie took the glass and sat in the chair beside her.

"Are you really a solider?" She asked.

"Yup." Abby said as she pulled her dog tags out and showed them to her. "I was a Marine corps sniper, my brother Rick's a Sheriff. I guess civil service is in the blood."

Maggie opened her mouth to say or ask something more but was called from somewhere within the house. "Sorry, gotta go." She said as she got up and left. A few minutes later, Daryl walked slowly up the steps then replaced Maggie in the chair beside her and held out a can of food.

"Dale didn't think you'd eaten since you got back, then with you gettin' blood taken from you, you ain't likely to be feeling to well." He said as she took it from him as well as the spoon he offered her.

"Thanks." She said as she dug in to the can.

"So, what happened after you parted ways with Rick?" He asked curiously.

Abby gave him the short version of what had happened and how they had made it back to the RV. After she finished, Daryl told her that they'd tracked her quite some distance but lost her tracks as they lost daylight. When they came back the next morning, he was able to pick up her trail again and eventually found their way to the tent that her and Sophia had stayed in but then lost her tracks once more.

As they were trying to find her tracks, a bell had been tolled off in the distance, distracting them. They had hoped it was the two of them trying to signal everyone but all they found was a church with some walkers. Rick had told Daryl to start leading everyone back to the highway while him and Shane continued looking but Carl had begged to go along with them. Daryl said he'd tried to convince Rick not to go off with Shane but he wouldn't listen and the others needed Daryl to lead them back to the highway safely.

"The last thing we needed was to have to search fer more people, so I had no choice." Daryl finished.

"As long as Carl was there, I don't think Shane'd do something so stupid but I have to say, that was the first thing that came to mind when I heard Carl had been shot." Abby said then sigh as she set the can down. "I thought maybe Shane tried to shoot Rick but somehow got Carl instead. But Rick said that, that Otis fellow was shootin' a deer but the bullet passed straight through the deer then into Carl."

"Shouldn't be shootin' things with people standing behind 'em." Daryl said with a shake of his head.

Abby shrugged. "Apparently he didn't see him. I should head back inside." Abby said as she got to her feet. "Thank you for the food, Daryl, and for tryin' to find us."

Daryl shrugged. "Apparently I didn't do too good of a job of finding you."

Abby smiled, "Well I didn't exactly make it too easy on you either. As you already know, I can run for a long time and I wasn't really expectin' to be rescued for some reason. I just figured y'all just wait for me to come back."

"You're tough an' resilient but even you need help sometimes. Coulda been stuck up a tree with some walker waitin' to feast on you or holed up somewhere. We had to try and look." Daryl said as he to got to his feet also.

Abby reached out and put a gentle hand on Daryl's shoulder. She could feel him tense but he just stood there and looked at her confused. "Thanks, Daryl. You're a good friend."

Daryl scoffed then turned and walked away. Abby smirked slightly as she watched him go then turned and walked inside. The first thing she heard was. "I'd say Merle Dixon's clap was the best thing to happen to you." And Abby shivered in disgust.

"I'm really trying to not think about that." T-Dog said in agony as Patricia put in the last stitch.

"And now so am I." Abby said with another shiver causing T-Dog to smile in spite of his obvious pain. Abby took a seat beside the room that Carl, Rick and Lori were in and waited. About ten minutes later, Hershel entered into the room then she hear heard them discussing what was probably Carl's fate and then heard a commotion.

Patricia pushed a metal cart into the room. Abby poked her head into the room and watched as Rick, Lori, Hershel and Patricia, grab a corner of the sheets and hoist Carl onto the metal cart. Patricia grabbed a lamp from the corner of the room and removed the lamp shade and turn on the lights as Hershel pulled on gloves and prepared to cut into Carl.

"Rick, Lori you may want to step out." Hershel said to them as his hand hovered over Carl.

Suddenly the sound of truck pulling up, got everyone's attention. Abby ran to a window and saw Shane pulling up in a blue pickup. Rick, Lori, Abby and Hershel met Shane at the steps as he limped forward with two large backpacks. Abby grabbed the bags then ran in side with them and put them on the floor. After a bit of a delay, Hershel followed her in and opened the bag and grabbed what it was he needed.

Maggie and Glenn came in a short while after, Maggie in tears as she headed straight back into the kitchen with Glenn following. Abby took a seat in a chair at the table and when no one else came in, Abby went back outside to find everyone had gathered around the porch. Abby took a seat on the rail and waited with everyone else.

Abby didn't know how much time had passed but eventually Hershel finally came back out, wiping his hands on a towel as he came out.

"He seems to have stabilized." He said to Rick and Lori as they stood watching him.

"Oh god." Rick said with a sigh, then walked up the last couple steps and hugged Hershel.

"I don't have words." Lori said after trying a couple times to speak.

"Neither do I, I wish I did." Hershel said to her. "How do I tell Patricia about Otis?" Hershel asked Rick.

Rick looked at Lori. "You go to Carl, I'll go with Hershel."

When Rick disappeared into the house, Abby walked over to Lori and hugged her. "Thank god, Carl's okay." She breathed into Lori's ear.

Lori pulled back and smiled at Abby. "I better get back to Carl, I'm glad you're okay too."

The next morning, Abby woke up feeling sixty years old as she painfully crawled out of her tent. When she looked around she saw Carol with Sophia by a small cook fire, Dale was standing in the door of his RV looking inside of it and Abby could see part of Amy and heard Andrea's voice while Daryl was no where's in sight. Off to one side, not far away from the house, Abby could see Glenn, T-Dog and two people Abby had never seen before, collecting rocks.

Abby looked back to Carol. "What are they doin' over there?" Indicating Glenn and the others.

"They're collecting rocks to make a pyre for the man who died last night…Otis?" Carol explained sadly. "Rick and Lori are still in side with Carl."

"Can I go see him, Momma?" Sophia asked.

"In a little while honey. He's still really hurt and needs to rest." Carol answered as she stroked her daughter's cheek, then looked back at Abby. "I don't believe I said it before, but thank you for saving my baby. If somethin' had happened…" Carol faded out as she dashed away the tear that'd formed in the corner of her eye.

"I'll do it as many times as necessary, but hopefully never again." Abby said with a chuckle.

Carol smiled but seemed taken aback, probably by her laughing. She could barely smirk a day before, nearly losing two children in one night had put her life in perspective. "Well let's hope you won't have to."

"Yeah, I feel like I'm old lady from all that running." Abby said as she rotated her shoulder, then stretched her back. Carol just smiled as she stirred a pot of soup. Abby looked around again. "Where's Daryl?"

"Hunting, I believe. I saw him grab his crossbow and walk off into the woods." Carol answered indicating with her head towards a wooded area behind a barn and a large field.

Abby got to her feet and as she started to walk away, Carol called as she went. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes if you want."

Abby looked over her shoulder and nodded, then continued walking to the house and up the steps. She paused at the door, suddenly feeling awkward about walking into some person's home.

"It's fine, you can just go in." A voice said from a chair off to the one side.

Abby turned her head and saw Maggie sitting there. "Sorry about bargin' in like that, last night." She said grimacing.

"It's fine. Your nephew was dyin'." Maggie said sadly.

"Sorry 'bout your friend Otis. I…" Abby paused and rubbed her face then looked up at the younger woman. "I lost my husband about a week ago, so I know what loss feels like."

"I'm sorry, must be terrible to lose your husband and nearly your nephew in one week." Maggie said sadly.

"It certainly has been a roller coaster. First thought my brother was dead for about least a month, then accidently found him in Atlanta, then the following night I lose my husband and now this." Abby shook her head. "It's enough to drive someone crazy."

"And then that little girl got lost, good thing you found her." Maggie said.

"Yeah, Sophia. Poor girl lost her daddy the same night I lost my husband…although he was a waste of flesh." Abby suddenly frowned. "I don't think I ever properly introduced myself to you. Abby King." She offered Maggie her hand.

Maggie took it and shook it. "Maggie Greene." Then nodded in the direction where Glenn and T-Dog were helping the two young people collect stones. "The girl over there is my sister, Beth and that's her boyfriend Jimmy."

"Wish we coulda met y'all under better circumstance." Abby said politely as she reached for the door.

"Me too." Maggie replied then stood and walked off towards the chicken coop.

Abby went inside and headed straight to the room where Carl was resting in. He was still unconscious be even from the doorway, she could tell that his color was better. Beside him, Rick and Lori sat staring at him, stroking his hand and cheek. Abby walked over and sat on the opposite side of the bed and swept a sweaty strand of hair from his eyes and kissed him on the forehead.

"Has he woken yet?" Abby asked them.

Lori shook her head sadly. "No."

Hershel walked into the room then and touched Abby's shoulder, silently asking for her to move aside. Abby moved to the foot of the bed, as Hershel put his hand to Carl's head.

"His fever's come down." Hershel said to Rick and Lori.

Carl suddenly started squirming slightly, causing everyone to lean forward. "Baby?" Lori called. "Carl?"

Slowly Carl opened his eyes and looked at his parents, then his eyes widened when he saw Abby. "Auntie?" Carl croaked. His eyes darted to his parent then back to her. "Does that mean that Sophia's okay?" He asked.

Abby reached out and grabbed his foot and smiled. "That's right, kiddo. She's helpin' her mom make breakfast as we speak."

"Good." He said as his eyes started to droop.

"Rest." Lori said to him. "We'll be right here, okay?"

Carl nodded his head tiredly. "Okay." Then fell back asleep.

"I'll get y'all something to eat, should be ready." Abby said then turned and walked outside once again.

When she came out, Glenn and T-Dog were no longer gathering stones but sitting by the fire where everyone but Daryl sat eating the soup that Carol had been making. When Abby approached, Carol held out a bowl to her.

"Could you dish out a second one? I'll bring it to Rick and Lori." Abby said as she grabbed the first bowl. Carol grabbed another bowl and dished out some soup into it then offered up to Abby. She quickly ran inside, brought the bowls to Rick and Lori, then turned to leave. When Abby came back to the fire once more, Daryl came strolling up just as she did with several squirrels and a rabbit hanging from his belt.

Abby took a bowl from Carol once more then took a seat painfully on the ground. Everyone quirked an eyebrow as she groaned bending over then tried to settle on the ground.

"What's with you?" Daryl asked as he to settled on the ground with a bowl of soup.

"You try running from walkers with a twelve year-old girl hanging from yer neck for god knows how many hours, over very uneven terrain with practically no food or water in your system for nearly twenty-four hours. Even you might sound old, Daryl." Abby said as she gave up trying to get comfortable.

"Sorry." Sophia apologized quietly.

Abby smiled at her. "It ain't yer fault, honey. I'm just not as in shape as I'm used to bein' but then again, I'm used to a more enriching diet."

"Probably not used to running through forests either." Dale added.

"Well not exactly, but the terrain in the middle east isn't exactly smooth sailing either." Abby said with a shrug. "The terrain is a pain in the ass in a different."

"Don't snipers camp out for long periods of time?" Glenn asked.

Abby laughed. "Well, for one thing, snipers don't 'camp out' I didn't live in a video game. Secondly, we did sometimes stay in one spot for a long time if we were lookin' for someone in particular or there was a threat in a particular area. More often then not, though, I had to high-tail if from point 'a' to point 'b', on foot with eighty pounds of gear, up at least three stories of stairs, every day." Abby said.

"For real?" Glenn asked with a wince. "Why on foot?"

"To avoid bein' seen, you know blending in. Riding around in a Humvee is like puttin' up a flashy sign up sayin' here I am, come kill me!"

"Did people ever find you? I mean how could you tell if someone was sneaking up on you if you were busy lookin' down a scope?" Amy asked.

"While I wasn't always with my unit, I wasn't by myself either. Snipers always have a spotter." Abby explained

"A spotter?" Andrea asked confused. "What's a spotter?"

"Helped me find targets, also covered my ass to make sure no one came up behind me. My spotter in particular was a professional profiler." Abby clarified.

"Like on those CSI shows?" Amy asked.

Abby smirked. "Sorta but it's a little different from a thousand yards away."

Everyone ceased their questions when they saw Maggie approaching. "We're gonna have the memorial now, for any of you who wanna join in." She said sadly then turned and walked away.

"I'll go get Rick and Lori for you Abby, since yer still eatin'." T-Dog said as he got to his feet.

Five minutes later, they all stood in a semi circle around a pyre. As Hershel spoke, Patricia, Maggie, Beth and Jimmy all added stones to the pyre. When Hershel was done, he asked Shane to say a few words since he was the last one to see Otis alive but he refused at first. Then when Patricia begged him, he finally relented. As he talked, Abby watched him carefully and a sickening thought came into her mind.

After staring at Shane for a moment, Abby looked around at their group but as she looked, they didn't seem to notice what she was noticing, not even Rick. Then her eyes landed on Daryl and he cocked an eyebrow at her. She nodded subtly, relieved that he was thinking the same thing.

When Shane finished his speech, he grabbed a rock and put it on top of the pyre, then after a moment of silence, everyone went their separate ways. Abby trotted after Daryl and tapped his elbow as he walked towards where his kills lay on the ground.

"Can we talk for a moment?" She asked when he looked down at her. "Alone?"

"Sure, just let my grab my game." He answered as he turned and grabbed his rabbit and squirrels while Abby grabbed an empty cooler, so Daryl could use it as a table then the two them went further into the trees and sat down.

"Let me guess," Daryl started as he grabbed a squirrel and ran his knife down its belly with surgical precision. "Yer thinkin' Shane shot that man."

Abby sighed. "It definitely crossed my mind but he more likely left him for dead, shot him in the leg or something so he couldn't get away."

"You planning on doing anything 'bout it?" He asked as he continued to work.

"If I had solid evidence that he did, I might but I don't. Plus, if the Greene's found out, they'd punt all our asses to the curb immediately." Abby said.

"Probably." He replied as he moved on to the next squirrel. "Probably will eventually anyways."

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Keep the reviews coming! Reviews=Love!

-Shockra


	8. Chapter 8

Hey! Welcome to chapter 8! Thanks to grasen for pointing out my boo-boo, I did know that and I think I had the correct name in the following chapter but I guess I had a little bit of a brain fart that I missed not once but twice! It's all fixed now, though! Hopefully I have no mistakes in this chapter! Haha. I don't claim to know anything about the Marine's so I very likely have things wrong, so sorry if there is something wrong!

Enjoy

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The next morning Abby woke up bright and early, crawled out of her tent to find Carol washing laundry on her own. Abby frowned and walked over to her.

"Isn't Lori supposed to be helping you?" Abby asked as she sat down in front of the second wash basin.

"She's had a rough couple of days. I thought I'd let her rest." Carol replied as she scrubbed a stain on a shirt. Abby grabbed a hand full of laundry and dropped it into the water and started scrubbing also. "You don't need to do that." She said but Abby could see she was grateful for the help.

"You haven't exactly had a couple easy days either. Your daughter went missing for a full day and got chased by walkers." Abby said as she continued to scrub. "Where is Sophia anyways?" Abby asked as she looked around for the little girl.

"Rick got up about the same time as we did, she asked him if she could see Carl, so Rick brought her to see Carl." Carol said as she smiled at Abby. "Your brother is a really kind man."

Abby chuckled as she returned the smile. "Yeah he is."

"You seem like you've gotten a lot better over these last couple of days." Carol observed.

"I guess the whole thing with Sophia and Carl made me realize that things can be a lot worse and if I continue moping around, I'll miss the few joys that are left in this world." Abby squeezed out the first shirt and threw it into the clean basket.

"You're a naturally optimistic person, aren't you?" Carol said with a smile.

Abby shrugged. "I certainly used to be. It's been harder the last couple of years." Abby laughed. "When we were kids, we'd annoy the hell out of people who tried to get under our skins. Rick, being mister cool and collected and me, miss optimist. We were the hardest people to piss off, in some ways we were a bully's worst nightmare. Then I got older and my temper reared its ugly head and bullies steered clear of me because they were scared shitless."

"I wish I had your spine." Carol said with a sigh.

"Don't underestimate yourself Carol. Under that motherly exterior is a true bad ass, sometimes it takes a little discovery to find it." Abby winked at Carol and Carol laughed.

Half an hour later, Lori dined to join the two of them as they were starting to hang the clothes up on a clothesline to dry. As Lori approached, she seemed a little off, even Carol noticed.

"I can't believe I slept in." Lori said as she grabbed some clothes.

"You must've needed it." Carol said politely. "Feeling alright?"

Lori ignored the question and said instead. "Next time wake me, all right? Especially on laundry day."

"It's alright, Abby here helped me." Carol answered nonchalantly, then looked over her shoulder at Lori. "I have an idea to run by both of you."

"What's that?" Lori asked as she started hanging clothes up on the clothesline.

"That big kitchen of theirs got me thinking. I wouldn't mind cooking in a real kitchen again. Maybe we all pitch in and cook dinner for Hershel and his family tonight." Carol explained.

"That's a good idea. Maybe Daryl will catch something big, add something to the deal." Abby put in.

"After everything they've done for us, it seems like the least we can do." Carol said as she fidgeted with a shirt for a moment. "You mind extending the invitation, Lori?"

"Why me?" Lori asked confused.

"Your Rick's wife. That kind of makes you the unofficial first lady." Carol said with shy smile.

Abby just snorted. _Unofficial first lady_? Abby thought to herself.

Three hours later, Carol came up to her with worry on her face. "Have you seen, Sophia? I haven't seen her since she left with Rick this morning?"

Abby frowned. "Did you ask him if he's seen her?"

"He said she visited with Carl for a few minutes but he fell asleep so she left." Carol answered anxiously. "I've asked some of the others but they haven't seen her."

"Alright, let me get my rifle and pistol from Shane, then I'll see if I can find her." Abby said as she started towards the RV.

"Thank you." Carol called after her.

Technically Abby never asked for Shane's permission nor would she ever ask, she just walked over to the RV walked into the back, grabbed her rifle and pistol then left. When she stepped back outside, Daryl strolled by her with a deer slung across his shoulders, heading in the direction of the camps common area.

"Wow, looks like we'll be eating well tonight." She commented as she watched him walk by.

He turned around and smirked at her, then nodded at the rifle hanging over her shoulder and pistol attached to her hip. "Thought Hershel didn't want us packin'."

"He doesn't but Sophia's missing again, so I'm headin' out to look for her." Abby said with a sigh.

"What?" Daryl asked in disbelief then marched over to the fire and dropped the deer. "Don't touch my deer." Daryl said firmly to T-Dog who was stoking the fire, then walked back to her. "When was she last seen?"

"About four hours ago, she was visiting with Carl then disappeared. Rick's helping Hershel with something and Shane is…somewhere so I am or was the only one really capable of searching without getting lost." Abby said with a sigh.

"Well I'm here now." Daryl stated then thought for a moment. "I'll take a horse, that Maggie chick showed me a map of this place yesterday when I told her I was going huntin'. There's this ridge, gives you a bird's eye view. I'll ride up there, see if I can see anything. You stay within a mile or so of the edge of the forest and follow the tree line, maybe she went just a little way in."

"Alright, there's a ridge over by the edge of the forest that Rick told me about. He said him and Hershel went there yesterday. I'll use my scope, maybe I'll see her trudgin' through the field or something." Abby agreed.

Daryl nodded then headed off to where the Greene's kept their horses, while Abby trekked off towards the tree line. Abby searched thoroughly throughout her section of forest but after an hour of searching, Abby hadn't found a single clue. Out of curiosity, Abby pointed the scope of her rifle towards their camp when she reached the edge of the forest, making sure Sophia hadn't made it back on her own without her noticing but she could still see Carol looking worriedly towards the trees.

Abby lowered her rifle, after scanning the fields thoroughly, then turned to walk back into the forest only to be knocked over by a big brown furry mass. When Abby sat up again, she saw a chestnut horse running full tilt for the Greene farm with full tack on but no rider. Cursing, Abby got to her feet and looked down at the ground. While she was not a tracker like Daryl, even she could follow the track of a thousand-pound panicked animal, through the brush.

It was well past mid day when she suddenly ran out of track to follow. Abby could see where Daryl had been riding along at a walk, coming from a slightly different angle then she had come from, following the creek. Something must have spooked the damned horse as he came to the highest part of the embank, as the tracks suddenly veered in the direction that Abby had been following. Daryl must've been thrown at the point where the mare suddenly changed direction but Abby couldn't see where he had landed. She was just about to retrace the horses track, thinking maybe he'd been thrown further back, when the scream of a young girl stopped her.

"Mister Dixon! Mister Dixon wake up! Help!" The voice called, it was Sophia's voice.

Abby hurried down the embankment then came to the top of a low waterfall with a gradual incline. At the bottom and a little bit away from the foot of the waterfall, Daryl was wrestling with a walker from his back while a second one was making its way towards Sophia.

"Sophia!" Abby shouted as she pulled her pistol out. "Run this way!" Sophia looked up at her then turned and ran towards Abby.

Abby aimed her pistol at the second walker and fire, the bullet passed straight through its left eye and it dropped like a sack of potatoes into the stream. Abby aimed at the other walker but Daryl and the walker were moving around too much, so she half slid half ran down the waterfall to get closer. Just as she reached the bottom, Daryl managed to bash the walkers head in with a large branch that he'd snatched off of the ground.

Sophia ran up to Abby and wrapped her arms around Abby as Abby quickly surveyed the area with her pistol raised. When she was sure no more walkers would attack them, she looked back at Daryl, who was still laying on the ground. Suddenly, Abby realized that he'd passed out and had an arrow through his side.

"Oh my god, Daryl!" Abby gasped as she pulled Sophia off of her and knelt beside him.

Abby felt for a pulse and found that it was still fairly strong. Likely he'd passed out from the blood loss or he might have a concussion, judging from the bloody goose egg on his head. Suddenly Daryl's head snapped up and he was awake looking around him.

"Sophia?" Daryl called as he sat upright.

"She's right here, Daryl." Abby said soothingly as he tried to get up. Abby tried to stop him but he knocked her hands away and got painfully to his feet.

"How'd you find me?" Daryl asked as he looked down at the arrow in his side.

"Your horse damn near killed me running back to the farm. A thousand-pound panicked horse leaves a fairly easy trail to follow." Abby said with shrug.

Daryl looked around Abby at Sophia, who was clinging to Abby's belt. "You alright, girl? You bit?" He asked her. Sophia shook her head shyly, probably a little scared of Daryl. "Found this up the stream a little way." He said pulling out a soggy doll from his belt.

"Annie!" Sophia said enthusiastically as she took the sopping wet doll from Daryl. Daryl's face twitched a little, momentarily but Abby couldn't tell if it was a smirk or a grimace in pain.

"We should probably pull that arrow out." Abby said indicating the bolt in his side. "It'll probably do more damage in there while yer walkin', it don't look like it hit anything vital."

"Yeah yer probably right." Daryl agreed then reached down and started pulling.

"Whoa, whoa. Let me do it, dumb ass!" Abby said as she swatted his hand away.

"Don't need yer help." He growled at her.

"I got a better angle and I can get it out in one smooth motion." Abby said forcefully.

Daryl waved his hand at her. "Fine." He consented angrily.

Abby walked around behind him, put her hand on his lower back then with one quick hard tug, the arrow was out. Daryl grunted in pain as it came out, then tried to settle his breathing but ended up teetering to one side. Abby quickly grabbed his arm to help him slowly sit down, as he tried to catch his breath and not faint again. As Abby shrugged out of her thick red flannel shirt, Daryl gave her a side ways glance.

"What're you doin'?" He asked her through gritted teeth.

"I'm gonna bind your wound and its gonna hurt like hell." She said as she pulled her arm out of the last sleeve.

"Don't dirty yer clothes, use mine." he said as started unbuttoning his shirt. "It's already bloody anyways."

"I'll use my shirt to pad it, since it ain't too dirty and we'll use yours to bind it." Abby told him sternly. "Your wound is already a cess pool of bacteria, don't need to add to it." She batted his hands away from where he was struggling with his buttons and undid the rest, then helped him shrug out of the shirt.

"I didn't need yer help you know, I'd have handled that other one and got out of here on my own." He grumbled trying his best not to grimace when she tugged his shirt off.

"I don't doubt it, if you were by yourself but you have Sophia here. Its hard enough to defend yourself when you're a lone, it's twice as hard when you have a little girl to look after and you are injured." Abby said as she neatly folded her shirt, put the front half on the front part of the injury putting Daryl's hand on the front side of his wound to hold it place. She wrapped her shirt around his one side around to the back of the wound than got Sophia to hold the second half to his back.

"Still woulda been fine." Daryl said moodily as she worked. Abby smiled at him and chuckled as she shook her head. "What?" He asked peevishly as she reached around his torso placed Daryl's shirt on the back of the wound, then shifted the fabric until it sat how she wanted.

"Nothin', I just actually believe you. I've met a lot of men with tons of bravado and pride but when it comes down to it, are just full of hot air but you, Daryl Dixon, have the grit to back it up. A _very_ rare thing." Abby slowly tied the ends of the shirt once, got Sophia and Daryl to remove their hands, then looked up at him. "Now brace yer self, this is gonna hurt."

Daryl nodded his head then closed his eyes then she suddenly pulled the ends tight, eliciting a grunt of pain from Daryl, finally tying the ends once more. She waited for him to settle his breathing again, before standing up and offering him her hand.

"Now let's get the hell outta here. I think you're more then ready for some of that venison you brought back." She said as walked to one of the embankments.

Abby pulled a canteen from her belt and offered it to Daryl while she sized up the steep embankment trying to figure out the best path up. After he took a sizable of drink he offered it to Sophia, then looked back at Abby.

"You got anythin' to eat?" Daryl asked her. "It'll help me get my strength back."

Abby pulled out an energy bar from her pocket and handed it to Daryl, then turned to Sophia while he started inhaling the bar down. "Sophia, I'm gonna give ya a piggy back ride, like I did when we were runnin' from those walkers, okay?" She said to Sophia as she took her canteen back and clipped it back to her belt. "I need ya to hold on tight like you did then, so I can use my hands and haul myself up that hill. Then I need to figure how to get Daryl up that hill. Don't think a piggy back will work with him." Abby's last comment elicited a giggle from Sophia and a glare from Daryl.

"You get the two of you up that slope, never mind me. I can get myself up there." He told her testily as he pulled his crowbow from the water and slung it over his back.

Abby knelt down with her back turned to Sophia, who then climbed up, clamped her hands around Abby's neck and ankles around her waist. Abby looked over at Daryl. "You ready?" She asked him.

Daryl nodded. "Just don't fall on me."

Abby smirked at him then approached the slope, looked up and sighed. This was not going to be fun, she thought to herself. Abby reached up as high as she could and began pulling the two of them up the slope. It was slow going but Abby was making progress, Daryl was making his way also but he was struggling even more then she was, his wound obviously hurting him more than he was willing to admit. Abby didn't know how long it took for them to reach the top, but it certainly felt like an awful long time. She was glad when then reached the top, she wasn't sure how much longer she could go on climbing with a twelve-year-old girl clamped on to her back, but in the end she made it.

When Sophia unlatched herself from Abby, Abby went over the ledge again and tried to help Daryl who was still a good six feet down. The whole way up, the man had been mumbling to himself, she didn't know if he was hallucinating or just giving himself a pep talk but when she came down to him, he stopped. Daryl seemed unable to get any traction in the spot where he was, so Abby wrapped her arm around a solid tree and reached down to him.

He glared up at her hand and instead of grabbing it, he continued to struggle. "C'mon Daryl, don't be a stubborn ass! The more energy you burn here, the less you'll have to make it back to the house on your own steam. I do not especially cherish the thought of carryin' your heavy ass on my own."

Daryl scoffed, finally grabbing her hand and letting her pull him up further. "I doubt your scrawny ass could." He said between gritted teeth.

"Ex-marine, dumbass. Part of the requirement is to be able to haul your teammates to safety. Most of those guys are bigger than you and wear a shit load of gear." She said as he finally grabbed for the ledge.

Abby easily pulled herself up but Daryl was spent and was struggling to get over the ledge, so she grabbed his arm and helped him haul himself up. When he got to his feet, he huffed at her. "Don't call me a dumb ass. I ain't dumb!"

"Being dumb and behaving dumb are two different things." Abby said as she quirked an eyebrow. "I agree you ain't dumb, you're much smarter then most people realize but yer certainly behaving dumb." Abby crossed her arms. "You got help but you keep rejecting it."

"I ain't needed no ones help before an' I don't need it now." He growled at her, finally catching his breath.

"I didn't say you _needed_ help, Daryl, but why waste all that energy spinning your tires in one spot and _eventually_ gettin' where you need goin' in stead of accepting a little help now and again and get there ten times faster with dignity intact and energy to spare?" Daryl glanced at her then turned away. "I seldom _need_ help either, but sometime its nice to have. Just means you have people who care about you."

After a moment of silence Abby grabbed Sophia's hand and patted Daryl on the back gently, smiling slightly. "Come on, I'm starving! Hopefully dinner will be waiting for us."

"Won't be no venison." Daryl grumbled.

Abby laughed. "There might be. Rick and I might not be able to skin a squirrel but we do know how to skin a deer and I'm pretty sure Hershel does too." They started moving forward at a reasonable pace but Abby doubted Daryl could keep it up for too long.

"You hunt?" Daryl asked in surprise.

"Rick and I would go out with our father and grandfather when were we kids. Rifle huntin' though, that's how I just learned to shoot, same with Rick." Abby answered while they plodded a long.

As time passed, Daryl started slowing down and Abby tried to assist him but he stubbornly refused. As they approached the edge of the forest Sophia suddenly gasped, pulling away from Abby and jogged off. She didn't go far before stopping to bend over a patch of flowers.

"I finally found some flowers!" She said in delight.

"Is that what you were looking for?" Abby asked, then frown and turned towards Daryl, who'd also stopped. "Keep going, you're almost there. The others should spot you almost immediately, I'll take care of this."

Daryl nodded wearily, then turned and stumbled on. Abby turned back to Sophia who looked up at her guiltily.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to get some flowers for Carl!" Sophia explained as she started plucking them. "That's what you do for sick people, you get them flowers!"

Abby knelt down and looked her in the eye. "And that's fine, honey, but its too dangerous to be going off on your own! Next time you want something, get someone to go with you. An adult like me or Rick or Glenn, okay?"

Sophia nodded. "Okay."

Abby smiled as she got to her feet and ruffled Sophia's hair, that was when she heard a gun shot go of then heard Rick yelling. "No! No…No!"

Abby grabbed Sophia's hand then the two of them ran out of the woods to find Rick, Shane and Glenn staring down at something in the grass. Abby gasped as she recognized Daryl lying in the grass.

"What the hell just happened?" Abby yelled as they ran up.

Rick bent over, checked for a pulse then noticed a wound on his forehead. Rick sighed. "He's a live, just got grazed." He said as him and Shane picked Daryl up, letting him hang between the two of them.

Abby scowled as she saw a mortified Andrea running towards them followed by Amy, Dale and a near balling Carol. Carol ran straight to her daughter and hugged her fiercely while Abby stepped forward as Andrea came up to her, still carrying a rifle and Abby's right fist came around with nasty right hook, landings solidly on Andrea's jaw, sending the woman flying back wards.

"Abigail!" Rick scolded her but she was done with swinging.

Abby pointed her finger at Andrea, as Andrea held her face and looked up at Abby fearfully. "Don't let me catch you holdin' a rifle ever again! Lucky for him, you're a shitty shot!" Abby growled before turning and storming back to their campsite.

"What's going on?" Hershel asked her when she approached her groups campsite near his house.

"You're most certainly right about somethings, _some_ of us really shouldn't have guns." She said practically pacing in front of him in a rage. "Andrea shot Daryl, lucky for him, she just grazed him!"

"Why would Andrea shoot Daryl?" Lori asked confused.

"Probably thought he was a walker. He got hurt pretty bad while looking for Sophia, he covered in dirt and pale. I just paused for a _moment_ to talk to Sophia then bang, Daryl's been shot by that… _idiot_!" Abby was so mad that she didn't know what to do with herself. In the past, she'd either go for a long run outside or run insanely fast on a treadmill.

Suddenly Maggie appeared at her father's side and held out an axe. "Here, you look like you could hit something." She said to Abby. "There's a pile of wood over yonder, could use some cutting. Better then you hittin' that girl."

"Too late." Abby growled as she grabbed the axe from Maggie and marched off to the wood pile.

Two hours later, Abby was still chopping wood when Rick strolled up to her with his hands in his pockets. "You still mad?" He asked her.

"Yes." She huffed as she swung and split another piece of wood.

"Do I have to be worried that you might punch Andrea again?" Rick asked as he watched her split another log.

Abby paused, breathing heavily and sweat pouring down her back, and thought for a moment then answered. "No."

"You gonna apologize to her?" Rick asked with a sigh, probably knowing how she was going to reply.

"Nope, but I'll apologize to Hershel for makin' a scene." She said as she leaned on the axe.

"That'd be appreciated. He wants us to leave as soon as Carl's well enough, I'm trying to convince him otherwise but with everything that's happened today; I don't know if I can." Rick said tiredly.

"I'll try and smooth things over with him." Abby wiped the sweat from her forehead then she asked. "How's Daryl?"

"He'll be fine, Hershel wants him to rest for the next couple days. We'll be lucky if he stays in bed for one day." Rick said with another sigh. "Sorry I wasn't around to help look for Sophia."

Abby shrugged, "It turned out in the end. Even if you had been there, Daryl probably still woulda been thrown from his horse." Abby handed him the axe. "I'll go talk to Hershel."

Abby went to search for Hershel and found him in the barn brushing off Nervous Nelly. "Need help?" Abby asked awkwardly as she approached him.

"Do you even know anythin' about horses?" Hershel asked as he rubbed the mare's back, vigorously.

"Actually, I do know a thing or two. It's been a while, though. Rick an' I grew up on a small farm when we were kids, we had a couple horses. When our folks died, Rick didn't want to keep it and I was only a teenager, so he sold it." Abby said as she walked in front of Nelly and gently rubbed the mares nose. "Rick was too busy bein' mister popular to take to the farm life, rather cruise around town with his buddies then exercisin' the girls." Abby chuckled as she thought of their childhood horses.

"Why didn't you get back into it, when you got older?" Hershel asked as he finally stopped brushing the mare.

"I enlisted when I was nineteen." She answered and Hershel raise an eyebrow. "In the last ten years, I've spent seven years in the middle east, didn't exactly have time for horses."

"Your brother seems awfully protective of you, I'm surprised he let you enlist." Hershel commented as put the brush away and pick up a hoof pick.

Abby scoffed. "I was still in my rebellious stage then, Rick told me to do one thing, I'd do the opposite."

"Seems like you haven't out grown that temper." Hershel bent over and lifted Nelly's front huff.

Abby winced. "I don't normally go off like that. Normally I can't shake stuff off but I guess with losing so many people recently and then Daryl gettin' shot, I just came a little unhinged. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"You really should be apologizing to that girl. She's going to have quite the bruise for the next while." Hershel let the first foot drop moved on to Nelly's other front foot.

"Think I should wait a day or two before even speakin' to her, let alone trying to apologize to her." Abby sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I used to go on long runs when I got mad or upset, something about it helped me find some peace, helped me relax but now days they only runnin' you do is from walkers."

"Patricia said you'd lost your husband recently, I'm sorry." Hershel said catching Abby completely off guard.

After a moment of silence, Abby finally recovered. "Yeah, it hit me pretty hard. I've finally started functioning properly now but it's still hard to think about."

"I understand that. I've lost one wife, possibly." Hershel said sadly as he straightened up. "Had a stepson that I lost and another son whom I have no idea what's happened to him."

"I-I'm sorry, I can't even imagine what that's been like for you." Abby looked at the man shocked, he seemed so put together.

"Can I ask you a favor?" Hershel asked suddenly, studying Abby real closely as she nodded. "Maggie and that boy, Glenn, are going into town again, in the next couple of days. Do mind accompanying them?"

Abby chuckled. "Are you more concerned walkers or Glenn?" Hershel gave her a disapproving look and Abby put up her hands. "So long as you let me take my pistol, I'll be happy to accompany them."

Hershel thought a moment then sighed. "Fine." He answered wearily.

Another hour later, everyone but Carl and Daryl were gathered around two tables. Abby, much to her indignation, was reduced to what was probably considered the 'kids table' with Glenn, Maggie, Jimmy, Beth, Amy and Sophia. Part of the reason was probably to keep her away from Andrea and possibly so she'd 'keep an eye' on Glenn and Maggie for Hershel.

"Maggie said that you are a Marine." Beth asked her quietly breaking the awkward silence in to room. "Is it hard…or was it?"

Abby chuckled. "Everyone is so interested in my career choice."

"Sorry." Beth said shyly.

Abby shook her head and smiled. "Don't be, I don't mind. No one seemed to care before all of…this happened. To answer your question; yes, being a marine is hard. You have to be able to carry a lot of weight, have insane endurance and tons of determination but for me, it was worth it."

"Are there a lot of women in the Marine's?" Beth asked quietly.

"There are a few, now days. Not as many as some of the others departments like the Army or Navy. Women in the Marine Corps is a fairly new concept." Abby explained.

"Abigail is actually the only female sniper in Marine's, she's an exceedingly rare breed." Rick said as he turned in his seat.

"You know when I enlisted, Rick here was completely freaked out!" Abby said with an eyeroll. "He was as mad as I've ever seen him. Now he can't shut up about me."

"Sue me for not wanting my baby sister to go off to war but I can still be proud of yer accomplishments." Rick said as he turned back to his plate.

"I've seen Abby shoot, its pretty insane how accurate she is." Glenn pipped up. "I certainly would never wanna piss her off!"

"'Specially with that right hook." Shane grumbled.

"Shane!" Lori hissed.

"It's fine, Lori, like he's really one to talk." Abby forced some cheer into her voice. "Anyways, how 'bout this deer! We should all remember to thank Daryl for it later!"

The rest of dinner passed as awkwardly as it had started. When everyone started cleaning up, Abby quickly put a plate together and walked to where Daryl was sleeping. She paused in the open doorway and frowned as she looked at Daryl bareback, his back was covered with questionable scars that looked rather old. Abby shook the thought out of her head and knocked on the door frame.

Daryl quickly pulled the blanket up over his shoulder as a he looked over it, when he saw it was her rolled back a little further but not completely so his wounded side wouldn't make contact with the bed.

"Thought you'd be Carol." He said.

"It probably would have been if I hadn't beaten her to the punch." Abby said as she handed him the plate and set the cup of juice on the night stand.

"Speakin' of punches, heard you knocked Andrea clean off her feet and onto her ass. Saw her bruised face when she came an' apologized for shootin' me." Daryl said as he started in on his deer.

Abby sat on the edge of the bed and leaned against the foot board, crossing her arms. "Rick and Hershel want me to apologize to her."

"You gonna?" Daryl asked, looking like he felt self-conscious as he kept pulling the blanket up to his armpits.

Abby frowned. "Do you want me to leave?"

"If I didn't want you here, I'd have told you to git lost. Now answer the damn question." He growled at her.

Abby chuckled. "Don't know, I certainly don't feel like it. Don't regret doin' it either." Irritation started to rise. "She had no business pulling that trigger, she has no training! She put a gun to Rick's head with the safety on!"

"Shit happens, it just wasn't my day today." Daryl replied with a shrug.

"How did you shoot yer self it back with yer crossbow, anyways? I mean the head stuff makes sense. I mean you hit yer head on the way down then got shot by Andrea but the bolt?" She looked at him quizzically.

"I didn't _shoot_ myself. The arrow must've come free as I was tumblin' into the stream, must've landed on it at the bottom of the waterfall while it was pointed up. Like I said, just wasn't my day today."

Abby swung her feet back onto the ground and stood up. "Well I'll leave you be, probably should be restin'." Abby said as she headed for the door.

* * *

Well? Did you think I was going to off Sophia? Reviews=Love

-Shockra


	9. Chapter 9

Hey! I'm glad you're all enjoying my story thus far! Sorry to my followers of my other story, I know I've been ignoring it for quite some time now but I'll get too it...eventually. Enjoy!

* * *

A couple days later, Rick came up to Abby as she was helping with the cooking and pulled her away from the group. He walked with her to the fence when he stopped, he turned back to her.

"Shane and I are planning on have a firearms lesson, today, just basic training. You'd be a huge asset." Rick said as he looked at her worriedly.

"Okay, what's the catch? You're giving me a look like I might explode or something." She asked guardedly.

"Andrea's gonna be there." Rick supplied as he watched her carefully.

Abby scoffed. "Good, she needs to learn to shoot." Rick looked at her shocked. "I might be still mad at her for shooting at Daryl but I ain't unreasonable, Rick."

"Okay then…good. We leave in ten." He said as he studied her carefully then turned and walked away.

Ten minutes later, Abby crammed into Carol's vehicle with her, Lori with Carl in her lap, Patricia and Rick as they drove out to where Rick and Shane had planned to set up their firing range. When they arrived, Abby paced out the targets while Rick and Shane went over the basic safety rules of handling firearms and how to use them.

When it was all set up, Rick asked her to handle teaching Patricia and Beth while T-Dog taught Jimmy and Carol, Shane taught Andrea and Amy while Rick largely focused on Carl but floated around where needed. After a while Rick got a huge grin on his face then ran to the back of the blue truck and pulled out the only sniper rifle that still had bullets and trotted over to her.

"Who wants to see the freak show that is my sister at work?" Rick said as he handed her the rifle, which was met by a cheer.

"Freak show, am I? How do you plan on showcasing my apparently freakish abilities?" Shane appeared at Rick's side with about a dozen baseballs. "You planning on throwing those things over a thousand yards because otherwise this'll just be a turkey shoot."

"See me _and_ Shane will be throwing these balls. If you're as good as you like to boast…" Rick started

"You mean _you_ like to boast." Abby interrupted.

"Then you'll be able to shoot _both_ before they hit the ground." Rick said with a smirk.

"For as long as you two can throw, I don't need a rifle, a pistol would do. Also, isn't a rapid firing rifle so it'd take too long to cock and aim a second time." Abby put the rifle down and pulled out her pistol. "Okay Starsky and Hutch, fire a way." Abby said as she raised her pistol.

Shane and Rick grinned at each other, each picked up a ball and hurled it as hard as they could. Abby waited for the balls to reach the highest point of their arc before popping each in quick succession.

"You are kind of failing at making me look impressive, that was at most thirty yards…not hard." Abby said bored.

"What'd you said the max range is on that rifle?" Shane asked her.

Abby looked down at the rifle. "With those cheap ass bullets in it? Maybe…a thousand yards, at most fifteen hundred."

"So that's what, just over half a mile?" Rick pulled a marker out of his pocket and made a big black dot on each of the remaining balls then jumped into the driver seat of the blue truck, bringing the bucket of balls with him and drove a cross the field. He stopped at the top of a hill that was almost a mile away, pulled out a couple log stumps that were still sitting in the truck bed, plopped them down a certain distance apart and put a ball on each stump before jumping back into the truck and driving back.

"That's really far." Jimmy said doubtfully.

"I've shot further but that was a much nicer rifle." Abby said as she picked up the rifle.

"Backing out now, Ab's?" Shane asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Abby scoffed but Carl answered. "Auntie can do it! She's the best!" He said excitedly. Abby smiled at him and lightly ruffled his hair.

When Rick got back, Rick passed out two pairs of binoculars, which was all they had. "Whenever you're ready Abigail."

Abby sat on the ground and crossed one leg under the other while the other she used as a support as she crossed her left arm under the gun to steady it.

"What are you doing?" Andrea asked with a slight terseness in her voice.

"I ain't got no window ledge, tripod or any other kind of support to steady the rifle, so I'm usin' my body as best I can. At that range, standing up causes too much sway, I'd have to be a statue to stand steady enough." Abby said coolly as she started lining up the first shot.

"Thought you were supposed to be so amazing!" Andrea said sarcastically.

Abby got to her feet causing Rick to tense, ready to interfere but Abby held out the rifle. "Alright dead shot, you think you can hit those balls at close to two thousand yards even though you couldn't hit Daryl at less than five hundred? Then here show us how its done!" Abby said icily. When she said nothing, Abby continued. "No? Then shut it or I'll add a bruise to the other side of yer face!"

"Abigail!" Rick warned but Abby had already started resuming her sitting position.

"You're such a joy kill!" Amy hissed quietly at Andrea.

Abby, inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, tuning everyone out and focused on her target. After carefully adjusting her sights, Abby slowly let her breath out a final time, then fired six quick shots, or at least as quick as a bolt action rifle allowed. When she finished firing, Abby looked over her shoulder.

"If you want me to hit 'em all, I need more bullets." She said back to Rick.

"No that's fine, six for six is pretty good." Rick said with a huge smile.

"C'mon!" Carl said excitedly. "Lets all get in the cars and drive down there and see how many bullseye Auntie Abby got!" Then turned and dragged his mother after him as headed off to the vehicles as almost everyone followed, almost as enthusiastic as Carl.

With a sigh Abby followed and crammed into the vehicle once more. They drove over the bumpy terrain to where Rick had set up her targets, then everyone but Andrea and Shane jumped out of the vehicles while Carl excitedly collect the six balls she'd hit. He trotted back over to where everyone stood then held up each ball in turn while they all 'ooh-ed' and 'aww-ed' but Abby pulled a face.

"Why you look so unhappy?" T-Dog asked incredulous.

"I only got one bulls eye!" Abby griped.

"Yeah but hit the edge of the mark every time!" T-Dog said in dismay. "You do realize those balls are smaller than my hand and you hit them from over a thousand yards away?"

"One thousand six hundred and fifty-seven yards, to be exact. If I had _my_ rifle, the one I'd had while I was serving, I would have had a perfect bullseye all six times." Abby crossed her arms, unimpressed.

"Well I thought that was _amazing_! I ain't seen or heard of _anyone_ shootin' like that before! You really were a sniper, weren't you!" Beth said excitedly.

"You doubted me?" Abby asked with a chuckle.

"A lot of people like to toot their horns." Patricia said with a shrug. "Make 'em selves sound better than they really are, even before all of this happened."

"All the stuff we saw you do before, was all short range." Amy said. "Still incredibly accurate but only a dozen yards at most."

Abby just shrugged starting to get tired of the praise, apparently so was Shane. "Y'all done stokin' Abby's ego, cus' I was gonna give Andrea here some more advanced lessons we talked about earlier."

Rick gave Shane an unimpressed look but said to everyone. "Alright everyone let's go back."

When Abby got back, Maggie and Glenn stood their waiting with the three horses saddled and ready to go. Maggie watched Abby looking unimpressed, as she walked over to the pair.

"Let me guess, Daddy wants you to baby sit us." Maggie guessed sourly.

"You're bang on the money there, honey. Don't worry 'bout it much though, unless you do something really stupid like trying to get yer self killed, I won't say a word about what happens on our little trip." Abby said with a smirk and a shrug. "If anybody understands your situation, its me! My father was just like yours…when it came to me anyways. Rick could do whatever the hell he wanted but his baby girl had to be sheltered and coddled. I, on the other hand, had other plans."

Maggie smirked a little as she handed Abby the reins to the horse she'd be riding. Glenn climbed up precariously into the saddle then looked over at her. "Rick did say something about you being extremely rebellious when you were a teenager."

Abby and Maggie both climbed up into the saddles of their respective horses, then Abby grinned wickedly at Glenn. "Damn straight I was. Why do you think Rick's so over bearing?" She asked as she spurred her horse forward.

The two followed after her as the plodded slowly down the road. "Rick actually doesn't seem that bad. Shane, is much worse." Glenn observed.

"Rick ain't as bad now, I'll give him that. I suppose he's finally accepted that I ain't eighteen anymore. As for Shane, he's just a controlling asshole. There's a reason he ain't married." Abby grumbled.

"You don't seem to like him much." Maggie observed. "Even though he helped save your nephew. I mean I get it, he just has that vibe that makes me not trust him, but you seem to have specific reasons."

"I do have my reasons, and they are my own." Abby scowled off in the distance. "He might've helped save Carl, but it don't make up for his past sins."

"Are you angry at him for telling you and Lori that Rick was dead?" Glenn asked.

Abby shrugged. "Suppose that's part of it but it ain't all of it. Don't ask me to elaborate, cus' I ain't gonna."

"Well at least someone can keep secrets." Maggie said tersely, glaring at Glenn.

"Maggie, I—" Glenn started.

"Don't!" Maggie snapped at him.

"Well if it ain't your first lovers quarrel." Abby said with a smirk.

Glenn stuttered but Maggie glared. "It ain't none of yer business."

Abby shrugged. "Didn't say that it was. So long as you two don't get me or yer selves killed, I won't pry."

As they pulled their horses to a stop in front of the pharmacy, Abby looked over at Glenn. "I'm surprised we're back here so soon, what're we here for?"

"He won't say!" Maggie growled in irritatione.

Glenn looked uncomfortable as he walked into the store with them on his heels. "It was a personal request…I promised her I wouldn't say nothing."

"Her, who?" Abby asked suddenly suspicious but of what she didn't know.

Glenn sifted from foot to foot. "Maybe both of can climb out of my butt and helped me look." He said as he handed a piece of paper to Maggie.

"You have got to be kidding me." Maggie said in irritation as slapped the piece of paper into Abby's chest.

When she looked at the paper, her eye bulged. "Who's this for?" She asked him.

"L-Lori…" Glenn said as he looked down.

"She's pregnant!" Abby said in exasperation. "Does Rick now?"

Glenn hung his head. "No but I begged her to tell him! She doesn't want him to know…yet."

"Or at all! These are abortion pills!" She growled at him and his head snapped up in shock.

"What?" Glenn asked in shock.

Suddenly Maggie scream. "No! No! No! Glenn! Abby!"

Their heads both snapped over to where Maggie was standing, then saw that her arm was stuck in the shelves but she was pulling back, shaking the shelves and knocking pills to the ground in her struggle. Then a hand of a walker reached around the side of the shelving, towards her, snapping Glenn and Abby out of their confused stupor. Glenn ran forward as Abby pulled her pistol but couldn't get a good sight of the walker.

Glenn ripped a shelf off a stand, then jumped on to the counter and swung at the walker's head, nearly severing its head from its neck. Glenn jumped down to the other side of the counter and looked her over. "Did it get you! Did it bite you?" He asked then hugged Maggie.

Abby jumped up on the counter, pulled her knife as the walker stood up once more, its head flopping around on the strands of flesh and muscle that managed to keep its head attached. "Glenn!" Maggie called but Abby immediately plunged her blade into its skull, causing it to collapse.

"Remember to finish the job first, Glenn, then you can check on your girlfriend." Abby said as she plopped down on to their side then cleaned her blade off on the shirt of the now dead walker. He mumbled a sorry then turned back to the now crying Maggie and resumed hugging her. "Why don't you two look for the other items on the list and I'll look for the stupid abortion pills."

Glenn and Maggie nodded their heads, then climbed over the counter back to the other side and started their search. Abby sighed as she started her search for the pills and when she found them, she glared at them angrily before shoving them into a bag. As she hopped over the counter to rejoin Glenn and Maggie, a magazine stand caught her attention. When she landed on the other side, she walked over to it and saw several comic books on the bottom shelf. Abby knelt down and started grabbing one of each, when Glenn walked up beside her.

"Don't give him this one." Glenn said as he pulled one out of her stack. "A little too old for him, but I'll take it!" Glenn smirked at her as he rolled it up and shoved it into his bag. "We have everything else we need, lets go."

Abby stood up and started to turn to follow but then another magazine caught her attention, so she turned back to grab it before following the two out of the door. The ride back was very silent, as Maggie looked off into the distance, deep in thought while Glenn watched her worriedly. As they rode onto the farm, Maggie suddenly pulled the bag off of Glenn's back, then spurred her horse into a gallop, Abby followed suite and her rode after.

Maggie practically flung herself off of her horse and walked through the gate and slammed it accidently against Abby's ribs as she tried to follow, then furiously started digging in Glenn's bag.

"We got your special delivery!" She nearly shouted at Lori.

"Alright just come in here!" Lori said as she tried to usher Maggie into her tent.

"Why? We ain't got nothin' to hide!" Maggie snarled at her.

Abby grabbed the girls arm and stood in front of her and gave her a stern look. "Let me handle this, this is a family problem."

"Well the next time she needs something she can get them herself!" Maggie snarled as she shoved the bag at Abby then turned and marched away. Glenn stared at Lori in disbelief for a moment before he turned and followed after Maggie.

Abby grabbed Lori's arm and marched her into the tent. "Abortion pills!" Abby hissed at her. "Are you insane!?"

"This is none of your business!" Lori said firmly.

"Like hell it isn't!" Abby hissed.

"This is between me and Rick! Just because you're Rick's sister, don't mean you get a say!" Lori said as she pointed her finger at Abby angrily.

"Oh well let's go tell Rick! Because he certainly don't know!" Abby grabbed her arm and turned to leave the tent but Lori reefed her arm out of her grasp making Abby looked back at her, scowling. "You haven't told him because you know he'll _want_ this baby! So, you're just going to deny him the choice!"

"I can't have a baby! Have you noticed how screwed up this world is?" Lori asked her. "Could you bring a baby into this world?"

"Yes, I would! I wanted a baby!" Abby answered firmly. "And just because the world is screwed up, doesn't change that feeling! And FYI, the world has _always_ been screwed up! Baby's have been born throughout histories worst moments. If you do this, Rick will hate you for it, for the rest of your life!" Abby turned strode angrily for the door.

"Please don't tell Rick!" Lori pleaded.

"Oh, I'll tell him, if you don't. So, you better tell him yer self!" Abby grabbed the bag from where she'd dropped it on the table, then pulled out the comics and magazine, then threw the comics onto the table and dropped the bag. "Found those for your _other_ child!" She growled then turned and left.

Abby shoved the magazine into the back of her pants, storming over to the wood pile and started chopping wood again. At one-point Rick walked but gave her one look before continuing walking. A little while later, Daryl also walked up with his hand on his stomach and slowly sat down on a stack of logs.

"Helluva stack of logs you got there." Daryl said as she continued to chop.

She glanced at him then swung her axe, splitting a log then finally paused. "Ain't you supposed to be resting?" She asked as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Got bored." Daryl said with a shrug. "That book Andrea lent me, is extremely boring."

Abby pulled the magazine from the back of her pants and tossed it at him. "Thought you might like that…sorry got a little sweaty."

Daryl smirked. "Motorcycle magazine? Where'd you find that?"

Abby's face darkened and resumed chopping. "In town." She said between swings.

Daryl let out an annoyed sigh as he got up and grabbed her arm. "Would ya stop that already! I'm trying to talk to you!"

"And I'm angry. I can't punch people or go for a run, so I'm doing this!" Abby huffed at him.

He grabbed the axe from her, then placed it against the pile. "C'mon let's go for a walk."

"You're supposed to be resting!" She said as she frowned at him.

"Just shut up and walk." He said turning and propelling her towards the woods. "We ain't goin' far."

They trudged through the tall grass of the field then into the forest, then after walking for about ten minutes, Daryl stopped and sat down on the ground, leaning against a fallen tree. Daryl indicated for her to sit down with his head.

"What're we doing here, Daryl?" Abby asked as she smiled slightly.

Daryl shrugged. "You said you were angry and choppin' wood didn't seem to be helping neither can you go for a run, so I thought sitting in the woods would help. It did before."

Abby chuckled and flopped down beside him. "Sorry for calling you a dumbass before." Abby apologized after a brief moment of silence.

"Been called worse." He replied as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Wasn't being the most co-operative, either." Daryl continued then took a drag from his cigarette and let out the smoke before looking at her. "Can I tell you something without you makin' fun of me?"

Abby inspected his face, he was being serious and starting to look uncomfortable. "Of course!" She answered sincerely.

"I ain't used to people giving a shit 'bout me, generally wantin' to help me with out wantin' anything in return." Daryl started. "Merle's the only person who ever seemed to give a damn. He's told me since I was a kid, that it was just him and I against the world and I've always believed it. He'd also say that I wasn't worth nothing to anyone else." Daryl said as he nervously put the cigarette in his mouth and inhaled again, then let out the smoke in a long sigh. "But he's wrong, there are other people who'll give a damn, if you let them. You know, you're probably the only friend I've ever really had."

Abby smiled at him kindly. "I think you're a great man, Daryl. Don't let anyone tell you differently and don't let other people dictate to you how you should think or feel. I noticed that Merle seemed to force his opinions on you, make you see things the way he does; don't let people do that to you." Abby paused then smiled more brightly. "I'm not saying that you should turn into a block head and don't listen to anyone, you should still hear people out still."

Daryl smirked, then started flipping through the magazine as he continued smoking. Abby looked over his shoulder and watched as he flipped through the magazine, pointing out bikes that she liked. Half way through Daryl quirked an eyebrow as he looked over at her.

"Did you get this for me or for yourself?" Daryl asked.

Abby laughed. "I got it for you but doesn't mean I can't enjoy it too."

"Ain't you glad I dragged you out here?" He asked as he resumed flipping through the pages.

"Yes." She answered then laughed. "You know, even Rick's a little scared of me when I'm in a really bad mood, he waits until I've calmed down a little before approaching me but I've thrown punches at him before. You on the other hand don't seem to care." Abby sat back as she pulled what was left of his cigarette from between his fingers then pulled the last drag before blowing it out and snuffing the cigarette on the ground.

Daryl scoffed. "You're half my size. Merle's a lot scarier than you when he's mad and I used to tangle with 'em all the time. I'd jus' have to sit on ya if you git too rowdy." He said smiling at her.

Abby smirked slightly and pushed on his shoulder. "Don't underestimate me, you big jerk."

Daryl harrumphed as he smirked, then stood up, stuffed his magazine in his pocket and offered her his hand. Abby took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet. They walked back to camp in silence and the second they arrived, Rick immediately grabbed Abby's arm and propelled her out of ear shot of the rest of camp.

"The hell's going on with you and Daryl?" He growled at her viciously.

"Whoa! Where'd the hell that come from?" Abby asked instantly annoyed.

"From what I hear, you keep sneaking off with him! Can no body tell me things straight!?" He growled as he started to pace.

"Okay, is this actually about Daryl and I being friends? Which, FYI, is all we are. Or is this about your messed-up marriage?" Abby crossed her arms over chest.

Rage filled Rick's face, "You knew about Lori?" He shouted at her, getting in her face.

"Settle down ass!" She growled at him, not backing up an inch. "I just found out! That's why I was splitting those logs before, 'cause I was mad at her!"

"You knew and didn't do anything!?" Rick growled at her, still in her face but that was just how they argued, toe to toe.

"I told her to talk to you!" Abby looked at him mortified. "Wait, did she actually do it?"

Rick clasped his hands behind his head in frustration and turned away. "Yeah she did…" Rick sighed and turned back to her. "but she said she threw them up again." Abby let out a sigh of relief. "You know how I found out?" Rick asked her, apparently finding his calm again. "I went into our tent and found those damn morning after pills sitting on the table, empty!"

Abby looked at him sadly and put a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Rick."

Rick sighed, "No I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lit in to you like that. That wasn't fair."

"You're upset and you have every right to be. Does the rest of the camp know yet?" Abby asked.

"Not yet, just Glenn and Dale know but that's it." Rick made a pained face. "I was serious about the Daryl question you know."

Abby's face turned to stone. "And I told you, we're just friends. My _husband died_ not even two weeks ago, you think I'd just grab the first guy I met and start chasing tail?" Abby growled at him suddenly irritated again, clenching her fists tightly to avoid slapping him or worse, punching him.

Rick made a guilty face. "I'm sorry, Abigail, I had to ask."

"No, you didn't!" She hissed, then spun on her heels and marched off to where the horses were kept.

Abby stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Maggie and Beth laughing, grooming the horses. Beth frowned when she saw Abby's face.

"Hey are you okay?" Beth asked causing Maggie to turn and look at her too.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Then turned and marched out again. Abby looked around to where she could retreat and not be seen but turned tail and started running off towards the forest when she saw Rick trotting towards her looking really worried.

"Abigail! Stop!" He called but she ignored him and kept running.

Abby stopped when she entered the forest, getting her bearings before continuing forward. She was deep in the forest when she finally stopped, looked around to make sure no walker or person was around, before collapsing on the ground and broke down crying.

Abby really hated herself at the moment. It seemed like she's done nothing but cry and be miserable for the last two weeks, she had thought she was finally getting a hold of herself but something about Rick always seemed to break down whatever barrier she'd built without ever meaning to or trying.

She'd been asked about Martin several times by other people over the last couple days and had nothing more than a slight pang of sadness. She'd even been laughing and smiling over the last couple of days, she thought she was done with the tears. Maybe it was Rick thinking that she was already moving on that set her off? Was he thinking that she'd been cheating on Martin with Daryl, even before he'd died? Is that how they looked to other people?

Abby was fairly certain Daryl had the hots for her, whether he was aware of it, she wasn't sure but did _she_ have anything more than a feeling of friendship for _him_? Abby shook her head, it was too soon even if she did like him more than a friend. Abby sat there, probably for hours before she realized that the sun was dipping behind the horizon.

Cursing to herself, Abby got to her feet and started back to camp. When she reached camp, there was a chorus of people asking where she'd been and if she was okay but she ignored them, heading straight to her tent, side stepping around her brother and closing the flap door behind her.

The camp erupted into a hushed conversation as she unbuckled her pistol and collapsed down in her bed. She knew they were talking about her, crazy Abby's flown of the handle again. Unconcerned about what they thought, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it! Sorry if I missed a few mistakes, the last half of the story, I was super tired while editing it so I may have missed things. Reviews=Love

-Shockra


	10. Chapter 10

Hey! I hope your week was a good one! Mine was most certainly busy! This chapter will be a little on the long side, so hunker down and enjoy! I hope you have a great weekend!

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The next morning Abby woke up feeling incredibly groggy and icky as she rolled out of bed, got dressed then stepped out side. For once, everyone was sitting together eating breakfast around the fire and turned to stare at her in unison, as she walked over. Carol handed her a plate the scooped out some eggs into to the plate.

"Did you sleep well?" Carol asked as she then forked some bacon and hash browns into her plate.

Abby shrugged but didn't answer, not really in the mood to be talking to anyone. Glenn suddenly stood up and walked to stand by Rick and Lori's big tent, then cleared his throat.

"Um, guys." He started. "So…the barns full of walkers." He finally spat out. Everyone paused to look at him in disbelief, not entirely certain they'd heard him right.

While Abby had wanted the attention off of her, that was not how she wanted it to be pulled away. Everyone quickly shovelled their breakfast into their mouths and walked together to the barn. They stood in a loose semicircle around the big front double-doors and just stared at it, then Shane carefully approached the door and peered in between the boards. Eventually he turned back to the group and walked towards Rick.

"You cannot tell me you are okay with this." Shane said then pushed past Rick.

"No, I'm not but we're guests here. This is not our land." Rick said trying to reason with Shane.

"This is our lives!" Shane practically shouted.

"Lower your voice!" Glenn pleaded to Shane.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug!" Andrea said in disbelief.

"It ain't right, not remotely." Shane said as he rubbed his face in frustration. "Okay, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right or we've got to leave. Now we've been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."

"We can't go!" Rick interrupted.

"Why, Rick? Why?" Shane asked in disbelief. "So, your mentally unstable sister can have somewhere to go and melt down whenever she feels like it?"

"Screw you, Shane!?" Abby said as she gave him the finger.

"You're walking into very dangerous territory, Shane!" Rick warned.

"Or so she can run off with her methed out boyfriend whenever she likes?!" Shane said in derision.

Abby took a swing at him but he saw it coming and captured her forearm underneath arm then grabbed the front of her shirt with his free hand. Rick and Daryl both came at Shane, Rick reefing his sister out of Shane's grasp while Daryl's swing came in contact with Shane's jaw but he saw it coming enough to turn his head and Daryl's fist glanced off but his other was quickly following behind, knocking Shane back.

Glenn and Dale shoved Daryl back, while Amy and Andrea tried to push Shane back as turned back to Daryl, ready to fight back as Lori put her hands on to Rick's chest to prevent him from going back and taking his own piece out of Shane. That was something Rick could never stand, a man laying a hand on his baby sister. The look he gave Shane was full of spite.

"I'm going to talk to Hershel." Rick growled at Shane, barely keeping his rage in check. "If we're going to clear this place, he has to be on board with it." Rick said sternly.

"Rick, he see's them as people." Dale said sadly as he turned away from Shane. "Very sick people, he thinks they can come back from this."

"Then I'll have to try and convince him otherwise." Rick turned, glanced at Abby who nodded her head, then he marched off.

"You better watch yourself, asshole!" Abby said to Shane before turning and started away.

"Better go chop some wood, Abby, make yourself feel better or maybe go run off into the woods again." Shane sneered.

"Shane, shut up!" Andrea hissed as Glenn put his hands towards Abby as she turned around and glared at him.

"Boy, you need some respect smacked into ya!" Daryl growled as he paced towards him menacingly.

"Try it, you dumb redneck! Bring it!" Shane responded challengingly.

"Shane, go!" Dale said pointing off towards camp while putting a hand up to stop Daryl from getting closer.

Carol grabbed on to Daryl's arm. "Daryl please, he isn't worth your effort." Daryl snarled as he shrugged her hands off and walked away.

Lori grabbed onto Abby's arm but she pulled it away angrily and glared at Lori. "Don't!" Abby growled then turned away also.

Abby marched up to the house and plunked herself down into one of the chairs theirs and scowled as the rest of the group slowly walked back to camp. Abby turned her head as she heard the floor boards creak and saw Beth standing there watching her.

"You still look upset." She stated.

"It certainly hasn't been the best twelve hours of my life." Abby said with a sigh.

"Your friends were freaking out when you disappeared yesterday evening, especially your brother." Beth said as she sat in the neighboring chair. "If you want to talk to someone, I'll listen. I'm a good listener."

Abby chuckled lightly. "Honey, I don't think you'd understand. You're much too young."

"Maybe not, but talkin' to someone who has nothin' to do with whatever is going on with you, might help." Beth said. "You know, a neutral, unbiased ear."

Abby sighed. "I wish I could but my brain is so jumble and confused, I don't know if _I_ know what's wrong."

"I guess a lot has gone wrong for you, since people started gettin' sick." Beth said sadly.

Abby looked at the young girl carefully, apparently, she thought the same thing as her father. "Honey, they ain't sick…their dead."

Beth looked down. "I know you people think that…"

"No, honey, we _know_ that! We were at the CDC before we came here, the doctor showed us a MRI of the brain of someone who'd been infected. Showed us what it looked like when a brain is alive, all bright and flashin'. Then he showed us what happened as the infection took over the brain, then they died! When it reanimated, the part of the brain that makes us, us, never came back. It was all black!" Abby reached over and touched the girls arm as she pulled up her knee's and started tearing up. "I'm sorry but it's the truth." She continued softly. "Even if we hadn't talked to Dr. Jenner, I'd still feel the same. They're rotting, their skin pulls from their skeletons without much force! They get injures we'd never survive and they keep moving like nothing happened! They ain't alive, not like us."

"So, my mother and brother are dead?" She squeaked.

Abby stood up and pulled the girl into her for a hug. "I'm sorry, honey." She said as the girl cried into her shoulder.

Suddenly Abby heard footsteps and Abby turned to look over her shoulder to see Rick walking up the steps. He looked over at them and frowned.

"Everything alright?" Rick asked taking in the crying teenager.

"We're fine." Abby said softly.

Rick looked like he wanted to say more but he glanced at Beth and decided to wait. So, he turned to the door and knocked, instead. Abby could her the muffled voice of Hershel inviting Rick in, so Rick entered. Abby turned back to the still crying girl.

"I'm sorry. You came here to trying an' make me feel better and I only make you cry." Abby said softly.

Beth wiped her face with the back of her hand and shook her head. "No, its okay. Everyone still treats me like I'm still a child, tryin' to shield me from the world."

"Well now days, that sort of thinkin' will only get you killed. You need to know how it is." Abby said softly rubbing the girls back as she seemed to be collecting herself.

"How do you do it? Keep it together? I mean you lost your husband, probably seen a lot of other people die and then your nephew nearly dies! Not to mention at least two of yer friends are hurt!" Beth shook her head. "If I lost daddy and Maggie, I don't know if I could handle it!"

"You give me too much credit." Abby said with a sigh. "I was practically comatose for days after Martin died, Rick and Lori had to remind me too eat and drink. Scared the living daylights out of my brother. I had to retire from the Marine's because I emotionally couldn't handle it. If I lost Rick, I don't know how well I'd handle that."

"But you seem so put together most of the time." Beth said shocked.

Abby laughed. "I clocked someone real good a couple days ago and just took a swing at Shane a few minutes ago. Went for a real long walk yesterday evenin' at my brothers mere mentioning of my dead husband. I don't think I seem that put together."

"But you get up everyday! You laugh, you smile, yer functioning." The tears seemed to have stopped but now she seemed to be searching for something in Abby's eyes. "How?"

"I gave myself a purpose. Keep what remains of my family, alive. So long as I have Rick, Carl and Lori, I have to keep going. Rick can take care of himself and his family but it don't mean I shouldn't do my part." Abby said simply.

"But I ain't like you, I ain't no good to anyone!" Beth said sadly.

"Hey!" Abby said frowning. "Don't sell yerself short! Just cause you ain't never shot nothin' or whatever, don't mean you're no good. Tell you what, if yer daddy's okay with it, I'll teach ya everything I know about surviving. You know, takin' down someone twice yer size, how to shoot straight, make fire without matches, that sort of thing. Whatdya say?"

The girl smirked then frowned. "I don't know if daddy'll let you teach me to fight…the other stuff maybe but fightin'?"

"Self-defense, not fighting. Completely different. Even if things had remained the way yhey were and you'd gone off to college, it'd still be handy. There have always been and will always be, creeps out there who'll take advantage of a pretty blonde girl."

Beth finally smiled. "Okay!"

"How about now? I need to keep myself distracted." Abby offered.

"What about asking daddy?" Beth asked.

Abby paused and listened to the conversation going on inside. She couldn't tell what was being said but it didn't sound like it was going well. So, she shrugged. "Did plenty of things that my father never knew about, never killed me and neither will this. Come on."

"Follow me, I know where we can go where daddy or anyone else will be able to see us!" Beth said excitedly.

Abby followed Beth to the backside of the house, then into the small cluster of trees that could almost pass as a forest but was disconnect from the rest of the forest. In the center of the mini forest, was a clearing and what had once been a child's fort.

"Carl and Sophia would love it back here!" Abby said as she looked around.

Beth nodded. "My brothers would play back here when they were kids, then Maggie and I did."

Abby smiled and started her lessons. First off, basic self defense. She taught Beth how to block attacks, flip opponents and even disarm an opponent. They were there for hours and Abby had to admit, the girl was a quick learner, she even told Beth so causing Beth smile at her bashfully. She was stronger than she looked but that didn't entirely surprise Abby, she was after all, a farm girl.

"I think we should take a bit of a break." Abby said finally. "People'll start worrying if you don't make an appearance."

"I'm sure they'll be worryin' about you too." Beth said as she wiped sweat from her face and neck with a towel she'd fetched earlier on in the lessons.

Abby laughed. "Not likely. Probably figurin' I'm losing my shit some where's in the woods. Come on."

They walked out of the woods and around to the front of the house to find Patricia playing checkers with Carl, Maggie and Glenn sitting close together, apparently having made up and T-Dog, Amy and Andrea approaching from the other side.

"Where've you been, Bethy?" Maggie called as Abby and Beth approached.

"Showin' Abby around the farm a little more." Beth lied.

"Any you seen Rick?" Asked Andrea. "He said he would give me and Amy a few more lessons on shootin'."

Daryl walked up with Carol and Sophia in tow. "Saw 'em walking off into the woods with that kid and Hershel."

"You mean Jimmy?" Beth asked.

Daryl just shrugged. Abby looked at the crossbow on Daryl's back.

"Where you hunting?" Abby asked him, slightly miffed if he had been. He wasn't ready to be traipsing through the woods.

"I asked Daryl if he'd take us into the woods. Sophia wanted to pick more flowers, I figured Daryl would know where best to find them." Carol answered.

Everyone but Abby looked at Daryl in surprise, she knew he'd do something like that if asked and apparently Carol had come to realize what kind of man he really was. Suddenly, Shane appeared striding hurriedly towards everyone, looking like trouble.

"What's with all this?" Daryl asked as Shane walked up with a bag full of guns.

"Time to grow up y'all." He said as he shoved and shotgun into Daryl's hands, then moved along the line of people.

"Where' Dale?" Andrea asked as she followed after him.

"He's on his way." Shane said as he handed a pistol to T-Dog and Amy then continued towards Glenn.

"Thought we couldn't carry?" T-Dog asked as he stared at the pistol in his hand.

"We can and we have to." Shane said as he looked up at the women on the porch. "Look, it was one thing sitting here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe but now we know it ain't." He looked at Glenn. "How about you man? You gonna protect you and yours?" He asked as he held out another shotgun.

Glenn paused to look at Maggie then took the weapon from Shane. Beth looked at Abby mortified. "Shane cut the shit, this ain't right. This ain't our home! Rick will work it out with Hershel!" Abby growled at him.

Shane laughed "Maybe but in the mean time we need to protect ourselves."

He knelt down and held out a smaller pistol to Carl who'd walk down to the bottom of the steps to stand next to Abby. Immediately Abby grabbed his head and thrust up her knee into Shane's face, probably breaking his nose and put herself in between Carl and Shane.

"Don't you dare give my nephew a gun!" She yelled at him as everyone stared at her in disbelief. "You ain't his father, you have no right!"

Shane rolled around on the ground for a moment, then chuckled as he wiped the blood from his nose. "Psycho Abby makes an appearance!" He said then clapped his hands. "You actually got me unaware, bravo!"

Lori came to stand beside Abby. "Rick said no guns! This ain't your call!" Lori hissed at him.

T-Dog was suddenly distracted as he looked around the house into the forest. "Oh shit." He said and everyone looked to where he was staring.

Out of the forest, Jimmy emerged followed by two walkers on catch poles that Hershel and Rick were each directing. Shane rolled back on to his feet then looked at them in disgust.

"What is that? What is that?" He yelled, then started running in Rick and Hershel's direction.

Abby took off running for her tent, where her own pistol was stored. She quickly grabbed it, buckled on the holster then she ran in the direction of the barn to join the others. As she ran, she cursed herself for being fussy about her weapons, if she'd just picked up one of the ones in were in the bag, she could have stopped Shane. But half way there, she saw Shane firing into the body of the walker Hershel had on a pole, Rick was shouting at him but Shane only shouted back and continued firing.

No one else was trying to stop him, they all just stared in shocked disbelief at what was happening before them. The only one doing anything was Daryl but he had the shotgun that Shane had shoved at him, aimed at the second walker and was circling like it like a vulture. Abby didn't necessarily agree with any of what Rick or Hershel were doing but how Shane was going about it, was the wrong way.

Finally, Shane walked up to it and put a bullet into its brain, then turned away. He shouted some more, apparently making some sort of speech and when she was finally within earshot, she heard Rick shout at Hershel to take the catch pole. Abby finally burst through the gate then stopped to aim her pistol at Shane.

"Shane, stop!" She screamed angrily.

Rick looked over his shoulder and saw her pointing the pistol at Shane as he ran up to the barn door and started pounding on the lock with a pickaxe. "Abigail don't!" Rick shouted at her then turned back to Shane.

"No, Shane! Don't do this, brother!" Rick shouted at him. "Wait!"

Finally, Shane used the pickaxe to reef off the lock and reached for the timber keeping the door shut. Abby ran forward again as people shouted at Shane to stop. Abby then skidded to a stop as Shane lifted the timber, threw it aside then banged on the doors before throwing them open and drawing his pistol as he back up several paces.

The rest happened quickly, walkers started coming out and those with guns stepped forward and started shooting. Absently Abby noted the ones who really weren't good at shooting while she popped off headshot after headshot. She could hear Rick shouting for them to stop but it was too late, they were out and there was too many of them to simply herd back in. If it wasn't for the chain on the door keeping the doors closed enough so that only a couple of walkers could come out at a time, they would have been overwhelmed.

When they stopped firing, Patricia, Hershel, Beth and Maggie all cried as they stared in shock at the pile of bodies now laying in front the barn. Abby angrily shoved her pistol back into its holster, she wanted to beat the crap out of Shane but now was not the time. Abby walked over to where Carl and Lori sat on the ground crying beside Carol and Sophia.

"Get him out of here, Lori." Abby said softly, then looked at Carol. "You two should leave too."

Out of the corner of her eye, Abby saw Beth rush forward and heard Rick say. "Don't!" Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophia all left as Abby turned to see Beth running over to a particular corpse then gingerly push one off of it and turned it over, unfortunately it wasn't dead and instantly reached up to grab on to her hair.

Everyone rushed forward, grabbed Beth and pulled her away from what Abby assumed was her mother. They all started scrambling like chickens with its head cut of, trying to figure out how to kill it but Abby shouted. "MOVE!" And they all moved aside while she stepped forward and knelt down beside it. It reached out for her but she gathered the woman's reaching hands into one of hers, pulled out her knife and quickly thrust the blade into its ear, the body finally stopped squirming under Abby's grasp. She then gently put the hands down on its stomach, like she'd seen in funerals and closed the eyes.

"Thank you!" Beth sobbed.

Abby stood up and put a gentle hand on her shoulder as Hershel held his daughter tight. "This shouldn't have happened, your mother deserved to treated with respect. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you." Hershel said also then turned and walked off with his daughters and Patricia.

"Where you goin'?" Shane asked as Hershel walked off but Rick intercepted him.

"Hey, you've done enough!" Rick growled at him. "And what the hell happened to your face." Finally noticing Shane's bloody nose.

"Your psycho ass sister happened." Shane spat at Rick.

"He kind of deserved it." Glenn said then turned to follow the Greene's.

T-Dog stepped forward and put himself between Rick and Shane, the air around everyone was tense and it looked like a fight was about to break out between her brother and Shane and T-Dog was going to keep the peace.

"I think everyone needs to just stop, go off and cool down. Fighting amongst ourselves is just gonna get us killed." T-Dog reasoned.

"As much as I'd like to bash this asshole's face in more, T-Dog's right. Infighting will only get us killed." Abby agreed.

"The only one's who are fighting are you three." Andrea growled.

Abby glared at her but turned back to her brother then tugged on his arm. He let her pull him away as the two of them walked off to find his family.

By the middle of the day, they had buried or burned the dead. Daryl and several of their group had dug graves for the Greene's family members, then collected the remaining dead into the back of the half ton and drove them into a field to burn the corpses. Hershel was very upset with the days events and had barely said a word to Rick let alone anyone else in their but had made it very clear that he wanted Shane gone and Abby didn't blame him, she'd be angry too.

A few hours after the dead had been buried, Beth had collapsed while washing dishes. Maggie with the help of Glenn, had brought her sister into the lower level room that they had housed Carl in when he was injured but when they went to find Hershel, he was no where's to be found. After a short discussion, after finding an empty flask in Hershel's room, they figured Hershel must've gone to the local bar to drink himself into oblivion, so Rick and Glenn decide to go into town to fetch him.

Abby had wanted to go too but Rick insisted she stay to keep Shane in line and everyone safe while he was gone. So, she stayed and tried to comfort the poor, catatonic Beth. She got up and left when Patricia, Lori and Andrea all entered to examine her, so she decided to get some fresh air.

Near the end of the day, Daryl finally sought her out. She was sitting in the stables, on an overturned grain bucket, watching as the horse munched on their hay, while making herself useful cleaning tack with some glycerine soap she'd found in the tack room. He walked up to one of the horse and petted its nose when it turned to greet him.

"You know you have quite the temper." He said mildly while he rubbed the horses nose.

Abby chuckled. "Just when I don't like people…mostly. I had gotten good at controlling it but I guess recent events undid that training."

Daryl made a grunting sound that she couldn't quite interpret. After petting the horse for a few more minutes, he finally turned and grabbed another empty grain bucket, flipped it over and sat down on it.

"Thought you were avoiding me." Abby said finally.

"Why'd I do that?" Daryl asked genuinely confused.

"Cause of what Shane said this morning." She certainly felt like he was avoiding her, she hadn't really seen him all day.

Daryl shrugged. "Don't care what he thinks, jus' been busy."

"And yet you got mad." She pointed out.

"Cause he was man handling you!" He hissed at her.

"Well I kind started it." Abby said as she looked him over. "You're not exactly healed yet, shouldn't doin' shit like that."

"I ain't no pussy! I don't care if you swung at him first, a real man don't hit or rough up a woman, don't care how well she's trained." Daryl stared at the ground angrily. "As for his dumbass comment 'bout me and you; I ain't stupid enough to think a woman like you'd ever take interest in a man like me, beyond a friendship."

Abby frowned. "Why the hell not?" She asked almost sounding angry.

He looked up at her surprised by her tone of voice. "You're much too good for me, I'm just trash compared to you."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Abby growled as she put the tack she'd been cleaning down as she got up then walked up to Daryl and forcing his face to look up at her. "You, Daryl Dixon, are as good of a man as any! You certainly ain't trash! If I hadn't lost Martin two weeks ago, I'd more than interested."

Daryl's face turned beat red as he abruptly stood up and marched off, then stopped half way to the door and turned to march back, looking like he was ready to get mad. "Are you messin' with me?" He growled at her.

Abby's legs closed the gap without her consent, it was like someone had taken control of her body, then reached up, pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. It was a chaste kiss at first but he tasted so good, that she went in for a second much deeper kiss.

Abby abruptly ended the kiss suddenly realizing what she was doing and took a step back, Daryl's hands sliding off her hips. "Sorry I just kinda jumped you." She said as she licked her lips.

Daryl opened his mouth several times to say something but nothing came out at first. Finally, he frowned. "'kay yer gonna have to help me out here. I dunno what to make out of this."

"Right. Me neither." Abby replied. She was now in the middle of an internal struggle. She was pretty sure she liked Daryl, more than a friend but she wasn't sure if she was ready for more than friendship and yet that kiss had been amazing. Martin never made her feel like that, ever. In fact, she'd known many more men who'd made her feel more then her husband did, she'd married the man because she was scared of being a lone and thought her parents would've liked her to marrying a man like him.

"That ain't helpful." He growled.

"I'm not jerking you around, I swear. I like you Daryl, more than a friend but…" She faded off uncertain what to say.

But Daryl relaxed as he seemed to get it. "But yer not ready for more." He nodded his head. "That's fine, I get it. I'll be here when ya are." He turned and started away then stopped and looked over his shoulder. "For the record, that was helluva kiss." Then walked off.

Abby followed him a little way and watched Daryl walk off into a field then plunk himself down on what looked like the remains of a fireplace and started whittling away at some pieces of wood that were leaning against the hearth. She stood there watching him from the stable door for several long minutes before deciding to return to the house and check in again on Beth.

Abby entered to room and found that the girl still lay in a catatonic state, staring blankly at the roof, barely blinking. Beside her, Maggie sat holding her sisters hand and staring at her with a worried expression. Abby sat in a second chair beside Maggie and rubbed her back.

"Your sister will be fine, she just needs some time." Abby said softly.

"Her heart is racing and she's getting a fever, she needs Daddy!" She said sadly.

"They ain't back yet?" Abby asked with a frown.

Suddenly Abby heard, "Auntie? Auntie! Are you in here?" Carl called.

Abby got up and left the room. "Over here, kiddo!" She called to him.

He walked over to her and looked up at her. "Dad's still gone and I can't find mom, so I was gonna ask you if I could help Jimmy with some of the chores. He's gonna feed the chickens and collect eggs and stuff. Can I help?"

Abby tapped the brim of the old sheriff's hat that Rick had given him. "Sure, thing Sheriff. Just be careful of your wound and don't leave the sight of the house with out letting me know, okay?"

Carl grinned. "Okay." He started to trot off but she frowned and called after him.

When he stopped and looked back at her, she asked. "When was the last time you saw your mom?"

"This afternoon, shortly after Beth collapsed. Why?" Carl asked looking suddenly worried.

"No reason, just thought I should check in with her. Don't worry, I'll find her." Abby winked at him and smiled, trying to reassure the boy. It seemed to work as he smiled at her, then turned and trotted off.

Abby returned to the room and poked her head in. "Hey have you seen Lori?" She asked Maggie.

Maggie shook her head. "No, not since earlier this afternoon."

Abby frowned and left the house. She went quietly to everyone and asked if they'd seen Lori, when they answered no, she told them to not let Carl know his mother was missing. Andrea had mentioned that she'd been worrying about Rick and had asked her to look in on Carl for her. Finally, she walked up to where Daryl was still, whittling on a piece of wood.

"Hey." She greeted him, he looked up and smirked at her as he nodded his head, although the smirk looked slightly strained. "Have you seen Lori?"

Like everyone else, he shook his head. "She came to me an' asked me to fetch Rick, shortly after the girl collapsed. I was a little pissed at the time and told her to do it herself or ask someone else…" He paused then sighed. "I wasn't very nice 'bout it. She missin'?"

"It would seem that way." Abby rubbed her face in frustration.

Daryl pointed to where the cars were parked. "There's a car missin'. I imagine she got stupid an' went herself." Abby cursed and marched away, heading in the direction of the newer SUV. "Hey!" Daryl called as he ran after her. "You goin' to look for her?"

"Of course, I am!" Abby called over her shoulder as she opened the driver side door. "She's either lost in the back roads which, quite frankly is a real possibility with her, or something worse has happened."

"Then I'm comin' and I'm drivin'. Jus' let me grab a shotgun." He said as he trotted off towards his tent.

Abby sighed as she walked around then climbed in the passenger seat and waited for Daryl to come back. He took much longer than he should have but when he finally did climb into the driver seat, he also carried her sniper rifle. Abby cocked an eyebrow as he shoved them into the back seat.

"Thought it might be useful, you never know." Daryl said with a shrug as he started the car.

They drove off the Greene property and sped down the dirt road as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. After about fifteen minutes of driving, they found a car over turned on the road and a walker reaching inside with a second approaching the car. Daryl slammed on the brakes a short distance away and the two jumped out of the vehicle, running to the car. Abby went straight for the one still shuffling towards the car while Daryl ran straight to the one that was reaching in side.

Suddenly, as Daryl grabbed his walker's shirt, Lori screamed in terror. Daryl quickly wrenched it back, dislodging it from the car as Abby quickly dispatched her walker. As soon as Daryl's walker was dislodged, he thrust his big hunting knife into it skull and it collapsed on to the ground.

"Lori?" Abby called quietly as she looked into the car. On the ground, Lori was working her way out of her seat and looked up at her when Abby called. Abby walked to the back window and tapped on it to get Lori's attention. When she looked back, Abby said. "Cover your face, I'm gonna break the window!"

Lori nodded as she stood up and turned away. Daryl stepped up beside her with shotgun in hand and handed her, her rifle and they counted to three and struck the window as hard as they could with the butt of their guns, instantly giving way with the force. Abby reached inside to grab Lori's hand and helped Lori out of the car.

"You okay?" Abby asked as she inspected Lori in the headlights of their still running vehicle.

"Yeah. Just looked down for a moment at the map and I hit a walker." Lori responded.

Daryl shook his head in exasperation, to which Abby looked over at him and glared at him. When she looked back at Lori, Abby grabbed her arm and directed her back to their waiting vehicle. "Let's get you back home." Abby said as they walked along.

Lori stopped. "No, I need to find Rick!" Abby sighed. "Please Abby, its dark and they ain't back yet, somethings happened!"

Abby looked back at Daryl, who just shrugged at her unspoken question. He'd basically do whatever she wanted him to. Abby sighed as she conceded to Lori's demand. "Alright, we'll go but you stay in the car and do whatever we say, you hear?"

"Yes, I promise!" Lori replied solemnly.

"You, got a gun?" Daryl asked in irritation.

Lori pulled out a pistol and a knife. "I'm not as stupid as you think, Dixon." She snapped at him.

Daryl just scoffed as he turned to walk back to the driver side door and climbed in side, slamming the door behind him. Abby rubbed Lori's back as they walked back to the car as well. Once they were all inside, Daryl took off once more, speeding down the road. As the reached the edge of town, Daryl slowed to a crawl then they heard several gun shots as they slowly rolled along.

Daryl immediately pulled over, parking beside a business and turned off the car. Abby turned to Lori in the backseat as Daryl exited the vehicle. "Daryl and I are gonna go check that out on foot. You get in the driver seat and wait here, we may need to make a quick exit."

"Okay." She replied.

They both climbed out and Lori went to the driver side and climbed back inside, while Daryl and Abby slunk quietly down the street. The two quickly ducked into a back alley as two men appeared, guns pointed towards a bar. Instantly, Abby knew her brother was in trouble. She grabbed Daryl's arm and whispered into his ear.

"I'm gonna get onto the roof, put this scope to use." She said. "If there are more, try and bring them into my sights but don't do anything to get yerself killed."

"Ain't you glad I grabbed it?" He whispered back into her ear.

Abby smirked and kissed him on the cheek before turning down the alley and climbing up a fire escape. She had just barely made it too the ledge when a shotgun went off in the back alley when she looked down her scope, she saw a man scramble back away from the door. Out of the corner of her eye she saw another man on the roof across from the bar with his rifle aimed at the front door, while Daryl moved in on the only remaining man on the street, in front of the bar.

Abby did a quick survey of the street but saw no other men, so she lined the man on the roof up in her sights. Abby paused when she saw the man more clearly, who turned out to be little more than a boy. Abby sighed, she had to at least disable him, so she took aim at his hip and fired. The boy screamed as he collapsed to the ground, causing the man on the street whirled around to face her direction, only to get a hole blown into his chest by Daryl's shotgun. Abby swung her rifle back to back alley as she heard several shots go off, forcing Daryl to duck behind the building. Suddenly, Glenn skidded into view as he slid behind a giant garbage bin and Hershel's head poked out looking in the opposite direction.

Abby focused in on where Hershel was looking, seeing the man she'd seen earlier, now rolling around on the ground in pain. Daryl poked his head around the corner and nearly got it blown off as Rick stepped out, pistol raised. She heard Daryl yelling at him to hold fire, then she saw her brother let out a sigh of relief. There was a conversation between Daryl, Glenn and Rick, then suddenly Glenn cried out to alert the others as he fired down the alley. When she focused further down the alley again, she saw several walkers moving towards them. The walkers were momentarily distracted by the screaming man laying injured on the ground but Hershel just stood and watched, not moving a muscle to help.

Suddenly another screamed erupted from the street in front of Abby. When she looked over the side, Abby saw the kid crawling down the side of the road, screaming in pain having just fallen from a ladder. Abby finally decided that it was time to get down, so she rushed to the ladder, grabbed the rails placing her bots on either side of the ladder then slid down her boots screeching as she went.

As soon as Abby's feet hit the ground, she ran out into the street, the others coming into view as she rounded the corner of the building. Rick was bent over the boy in the street, motioning for Glenn to help him. The idiot was screaming in terror and possibly pain as walkers started to swarm the street, walking down the street heading towards them, moaning in anticipation. As she approached, she saw Hershel jog down the street to the nearest vehicle and climb inside.

"What're you doing?" Abby asked Rick.

"Yer brother is takin' this dumbass." Daryl growled in irritation.

"What?" Abby asked

"We can't leave him, Abigail!" Rick said. "He's just a kid!"

"I know, that's why he doesn't have a bullet in the head." Abby also growled.

Rick scowled at her. "Get back to yer car. We'll be fine from here." He said as Hershel rolled up in another vehicle.

Abby walked backwards as she watched them load the kid up, then Glenn and Rick climbed into the vehicle as the walkers shuffled within a stone throw, so Abby turned to followed an annoyed Daryl who was slowly moving, waiting for her to focus on the direction they were going. When she did, they both ran full tilt for their vehicle where Lori still waited. When they got to the vehicle, Daryl pulled open the driver's door.

"To the back." He growled at Lori. She rolled her eyes but complied and instantly climbed in the back.

"Where's Rick?" She asked once they were all in the vehicle.

"Right there." Abby said as she indicated headlights that drove by.

Daryl turned the car around and followed the other vehicle out of town. After about a mile, they pulled over so Daryl followed suit. Abby turned to look back at Lori as Daryl got out and approached the other vehicle.

"Stay here." She said then followed after Daryl.

Abby caught up to Daryl as he stepped back from the driver side door. "What's happening?" She asked him as.

"They're gonna blind fold the kid so he don't know where we are." He said simply as Hershel and Rick got out.

Rick glanced at them. "You two continue on." He said as he stepped up to the back door.

"Sure, but just so you know, your pregnant wife decided that it was a good idea to come and get you by herself then somehow managed to crash her car on a deserted road." Abby said as she started backing towards their vehicle.

Rick paused, hand half raised to open the door and looked at her in disbelief. "She what? She's here?"

Abby indicated their vehicle with her thumb. "Yup we originally came out here to find _her_ but she insisted we check on you. She got a bit of a bump on the head and a slit lip but she seems fine otherwise."

Rick shook his head. "Just get her back, we'll talk later."

Daryl was already in the vehicle and practically started driving away before she'd lifted her foot from off of the pavement. Abby glanced at Daryl as she put on her seat belt but he just stared straight a head as he tore down the road at a blistering speed. The sun had started to rise as they finally pulled to a stop, parking once more by their other vehicles. Immediately Carl appeared and ran straight to his mother when she got out the back of the vehicle.

Everyone started asking questions all at once as they emerged from the vehicle but Daryl disappeared passed the shrubbery, heading for his tent. Abby turned to the group and addressed them.

"They should be right behind us." Abby said to them.

"Is dad okay?" Carl asked her.

Abby smiled and patted his cheek. "He's fine."

They all turned as they heard the rumble of an engine then saw the other vehicle appeared on the horizon. Rick pulled to a stop beside the vehicle that Abby and Daryl had driven then they all climbed out. Carl ran up to his father and hugged him tightly, while Rick scolded Lori for leaving the farm on her own. He was interrupted when Dale asked about the kid passed out in the back of the car.

"That's Randall." Glenn answered as he walked towards the front door of the house.

"Beth's awake!" Amy said excitedly as she burst out of the house, nearly running Glenn over.

Hershel sighed in relief. "I'll check on her when I'm done with this young man. Patricia, prepare the shed."

Abby sighed in relief but decided not to go see Beth as Lori, Andrea and Carol were all heading for the house, she'd visit later. So, she wandered off to Daryl's tent. "Daryl?" She called as she approached.

She heard him sigh, then opened the door and flopped back into his bed. "What?" He asked her.

Abby crouched by the entrance. "Are you mad at me?" She asked.

He sighed again. "Not you, jus' getting tired of all this shit. People are gonna be dead in no time at this rate."

Abby asked as she crawled in and sat on the floor. "Whatdya mean?"

"People just runnin' off not thinking of the consequences and causin' trouble fer the rest of us an' _I_ seem to be the one who has to fix other peoples shit." He said in irritation as he fidgeted.

"Well you shouldn't be so damn reliable!" She said with a smirk but Daryl just glared at her in response. So, Abby sighed. "People are still getting used to the way things are right now and most people don't have the survival skills you've got. Hell, most people couldn't start a fire on their own. People are used to going to their nine to five jobs, worrying only about traffic jams and paying bills, finding food in a grocery store and not really having to worry about going hungry if they don't feel like doing something.

"Me, I've been living a dangerous lifestyle for a while so its easier for me to deal with this sort thing but for everyone else, thinking past the next couple of minutes, is difficult." Abby noticed him rubbing his side as she spoke, so she scooted closer. "Let me see." She said waving his hands away from his stomach.

"You ain't no doctor." He said waving her off.

"Got some training, kinda helpful to know how to deal with gunshot wounds and broken limps in the middle of a warzone." She said as she got up on her knees and reached for his shirt.

Daryl didn't stop her hands as she unbuttoned the bottom couple of buttons but had to clear his throat before he protested. "I'm fine, jus' achin' a little. Nothin' I can't handle."

Abby ignored his protest as she pushed his shirt aside then peeled back the bandage carefully. Abby bent closer to look at the wound, which was slightly pink but it didn't look like it was infected and the stitches were still in place. She touched the outer edges of the wound gently causing Daryl's stomach to twitched. When she looked up at his face to see he had his arm thrown over his face and his other hand clenched in a tight fist and pressed into his temple, the muscles in his jaws flexing as he clenched his jaw.

It suddenly occurred to her what she was doing to him, touching his bare skin. She was alone in a tent with a man who'd essentially confessed he liked her and she'd all but stuck her tongue down his throat less then twelve hours before. Daryl was a good man but he was a _man_ and he was very aroused by her, as his tented pants now indicated, despite his best effort to control himself.

Abby put the bandage back into place, paused for a moment shocked by the sight, it had been a long time since a man had responded to her so strongly. She turned around, crawled to the door and closed the tent door. When Daryl heard the zipper, he looked up and was shocked to find her still in his tent. "What…?" He started but stared wide eyed as she crawled on top of him, straddling him between her leg.

She grabbed his belt buckle and unbuckled it as she bent down and kissed him. He moaned when she finally freed the buckle, undid the button on his pants and slid her hands down his pants to grab his manhood. He suddenly grabbed her hand with one of his and pushed her shoulder back with the other.

"What're you doin'?" He asked in a hoarse whispered.

"I haven't had sex in five years." She panted as she craned her neck to try and continue kissing.

"Wait, what? Fer real?" He asked as he looked at her in disbelief. "But you were married!" He said shocked.

"He barely touched me." She replied as she tried to push his hand of her shoulder with her free hand so she could bend over to resume kissing him but he held her back.

"But you said…" Daryl started.

"I know crazy, right?" She grabbed the hand that was holding her back more firmly while her other was still down the front of his pants. "Please, Daryl." She begged pressing her hand down against his grasp and brushing against his manhood.

Daryl grunted and tighten his grip and pulled her hand back. "I don't wanna take advantage of ya'." He said firmly.

"If anything, I'm takin' advantage of you." She said as she smirked at him and he groaned. "I know what I'm doing Daryl and I ain't gonna regret it later."

"Yer gonna give me whip lash, woman." He said as he finally let her hand and shoulder go then pulled her face down and reached to pull at the button of her pants with his free hand.

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So? What'd you think. I've thought about writing a proper smut chapter but its not really my thing. I might try one day. just not today. Reviews=Love

-Shockra


	11. Chapter 11

Hello, everyone! Thank to all who've reviewed, favorited or followed me and/or my story, it seems like its being well received thus far. I've belated realized that I haven't incorporated a physical description of Abby. I might eventually work it into my earlier chapters but until then! Abby has dark brown hair, much like Rick but a little bit more a chocolate shade, reaching about midway down her back and natural loose curls. (Think Anna Kendrick) Like Rick, she has blue eyes but a finer boned nose. She isn't terribly tall but not short either, probably more along the lines of 5'6 or 5'7.

Sorry my brain is terribly tired right now, hopefully that made sense. I wrote this chapter before I got extremely tired, so it should make sense! Enjoy!

* * *

Daryl and Abby walked into the house together just as Hershel came out of the room where Randall was being kept, wiping the blood off of his hands.

"The boy should be fine." He said to everyone who had gathered in the Greene's dining room. "He should be walking again within the next week. He's lucky that Abigail didn't shatter his pelvis with her bullet."

"He's lucky that I didn't shatter his brain." She said with a shrug, trying to ignore the fact that Daryl was standing very close behind her; arm propped up against the wall by her head while his breath tickled side of her neck.

"I'm not criticizing your actions, just stating a fact." Hershel said simply.

"So, what do we do with him?" Andrea asked.

"When he's on his feet, we'll give him a canteen, take him to the main road and send him on his way." Rick said without hesitation.

"Isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers?" Andrea asked.

"No, it ain't because he'll be able to walk or even runaway from walkers instead of crawl away." Abby said icily, earning her a disapproving look from Rick.

Rick turned back to the group. "He'll have a fighting chance."

Abby noticed Carol staring at her then glancing over Abby's shoulder to Daryl, then back again as Shane asked. "Just gonna let him go? He knows where we are!"

"He was blindfolded the whole way." Rick responded confidently. "He's not a threat."

"Not a threat?" Shane asked skeptically. "How many of them were there? You killed four of their men and took one hostage but they ain't gonna come looking for him."

"No, they ain't." Daryl voice rumbled behind her. "The one bastard was just about to turn and run when Abby put a bullet in his buddy. They have no loyalty to each other, just usin' each other to survive."

"Like you?" Shane sneered at Daryl, who only glared back at him.

"Shane, don't be pickin' a fight right now." Rick warned as Shane crossed his arms over his chest. Rick continued. " _No one_ is looking for him."

"We should still post a guard." Shane pressed.

"He's out cold for now, will be for hours." Hershel stated.

"You know what?" Shane started sarcastically. "I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy." Shane scoffed and started walking for the door. "Look at this, folks—we're all stuck in fantasyland again."

Hershel followed Shane. "You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet. Let me make this perfectly clear, once and for all—" Hershel said to Shane causing him to turn back and face Hershel. "This is my farm. Now I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So, do us both a favor…keep your mouth shut."

Abby smirked, she was really starting to like the man. Shane looked at everyone like he was expecting someone to stick up for him but when they didn't, he turned and walked away, rubbing his head in irritation.

"We're not going to do anything today." Rick said to Hershel, then turned to the others. "Lets just cool off for now."

As everyone parted ways, Abby walked to where Beth was resting in her room and found her lying on her side facing the other direction. Abby knocked on the door frame.

"Can I come in, hon?" She asked.

Beth looked over her shoulder, then nodded. Abby walked around the bed and sat in a chair. "How are you feelin'?" Abby asked her.

"Tired, hungry." She replied softly.

"Hungry is a good sign." She said to Beth. "I know you're grieving your family but the pain will lessen, just give it time."

"I'd already started to think them as dead, after what you told me but seein' them movin', then watchin' them get shot up like that…" A tear slid down Beth's cheek and on to her nose.

"I'm sorry, that shouldn't have ever happened." Abby said in irritation.

"You tried to stop it and then you ended mom the kindest way possible…thank you for that." Beth shook a little as she tried to contain her tears.

Abby looked up as she heard footsteps and saw Hershel standing in the doorway. "Could you give my daughter and I some privacy?" He asked Abby.

"Of course." Abby said standing up. "If you need anything, either of you, just let me know."

"Thank you, Abigail…it _is_ alright that I call you that? I noticed only Rick does." Hershel observed.

Abby smiled. "It's fine, only Rick and my folks ever called me by my given name but I don't mind." Abby replied then turned and left the room.

After about an hour of working around camp, eating, gathering wood and other chores, Abby laid on the ground with her using her half empty backpack as a pillow with a book in hand. Reading had always been a luxury for her, it was something she really liked to do but got nearly no time for. She had a bookcase full of books that she wanted to read but stood neglected on her bookshelf, never being opened. Luckily, Abby had figured she'd have time to read while visiting Rick in the hospital, so she'd brought two with her.

Abby heard footsteps approached but she had heard footsteps come close to her many times, so she ignored them assuming they were going to walk past her and continue on with something else but instead the person stopped right beside her. The book in her hand was pushed forward to reveal Daryl squatting down beside her, crossbow in hand, cocking his head to the side as he read the title of the book she was reading.

Abby smiled at him. "Can I help you?"

Daryl smirked slightly but glanced over his shoulder. Abby looked to where he glanced and saw Lori watching them intently, glaring daggers at Daryl when she saw Daryl glancing at her; which caused Abby to frown. _Is she the reason Rick asked about our relationship?_ Abby thought. It'd explain why he was so short with her.

"I'm bored." He said looking back to her. "So, I'm goin' huntin'. You wanna come?"

Abby cocked an eyebrow. "I figured you'd prefer to do that on yer own."

Daryl shrugged. "I prefer to be able to catch somethin'. Most of these yahoo's stomp 'round like pack of pachyderms. You're quiet enough tho'."

"You sure you're ready to be runnin' around in the forest?" She asked him seriously as she sat up.

"You really askin' me that after last night and…before." Daryl smirked as his eyes wandered down her figure.

Abby chuckled. "True, but I don't have anything that's suitable to hunt with…at least not quietly. Those huntin' rifles may attract walkers."

"That's fine…you can just…come." Daryl suddenly shifted uncomfortably. "…if you want." Daryl sighed in irritation probably getting annoyed with his awkwardness but Abby just found it adorable.

"Sure." Abby rolled to her feet and checked her pistol before looking at him again where he still squatted. "I'm not exactly doin' anything constructive right now either an' its too bright to be sleepin'. Lead the way Robin Hood." She said as she put the pistol back into her holster.

Daryl stood and nodded while smirking slightly before leading her off towards a different part of the woods that she hadn't been to yet. As they walked under the canopy of the forest, she looked over at Daryl who was studying her with a sideways glance.

"Lori been buggin' you 'bout me?" She asked.

Daryl shrugged. "Told me to stay away from you. Said Rick'd beat the shit outta me if I touched you, whether it was sexually or to hurt you." Daryl's face darkened at the last part of his sentence.

Abby laughed. "When she say that?"

"That wasn't exactly a denial, not that I'm worried. Just not a good impression beatin' on the brother of the woman you like." Daryl shrugged again as he smirked.

Abby smiled back at him. "Rick's been known to beat the tar out of a boyfriend or two, before. Rick is startin' to like you though and I ain't eighteen anymore, I'm an adult. Although I'd avoid him findin' out that we screwed, 'specially since I told him just the other day that we're just friends."

"Are we? Just friends?" Daryl asked faced suddenly turning to stone, probably preparing to be rejected.

That was why he wanted her out here, to figure her out, to figure them out. "No, we're not just friends. I mean, I like you as a friend too. I really do find you interesting as a person but we're more than that. I just don't know if I really know _what_ we are…"

"That's fine, we'll figure it out…eventually." Daryl stopped and looked at her like she was puzzle.

Abby looked back at him then finally asked. "Why do you like me? I mean, I'm so messed up! Shane's right I'm a psycho. I get the physical attraction thing and there's not exactly a lot of options out there anymore. Guys have been hitting on me for as long as I can remember but you keep talkin' too me an' you haven't really hit on me much. Most guys just wanna screw me, don't care about anything else. But not Daryl Dixon, while he does wanna screw me, he don't wanna take advantage of me and apparently likes talkin' to me."

Daryl scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I'm more messed up than you an' you ain't psychotic." Daryl stepped forward and touched her face tentatively like he thought she'd pull away but she didn't. "You've had every reason to be angry, you don't let people do shit to you. I doubt you went 'round bashin' peoples faces in before all this. Plus, you've only lost your shit on Shane and that asshole deserves it."

"Well I did punch Andrea." Abby said with a smirk.

"Jus' once and she deserved it to, she shot me in the head!" Daryl said sounding a little annoyed, as Abby brushed the hair away from his forehead where the bullet had grazed him. He cleared his throat and looked down as he blushed. "Still not a psycho, short tempered maybe but not psychotic an' infinitely more interesting than anybody I've met."

Abby stepped closer and pressed herself against him as she pulled his face down and kissed him. When she pulled back again he cleared his throat again. "So—definitely not just friends."

He turned away from her with a huge smirk on his face as he ran his hand through his hair and walked off into the woods. Abby followed after him but gave him a little space to let him clear his mind and focus on finding some tracks for them to follow. Abby was quite impressed as she watched him work. He could nail a squirrel to a tree from forty yards away with out a sight on his bow or get a rabbit mid-hop.

After about two hours stalking through the woods, they stopped and took a rest when Abby stomach rumbled so loudly that Daryl heard it several paces ahead. Apparently, Daryl had the presence of mind to bring some food and water for the both of them; which she was glad for since she hadn't eaten a lot at breakfast and was too excited with Daryl asking her to accompany him, that the thought hadn't crossed her mind. So, they sat cheek to cheek on huge, flat boulder, munching on some jerky that he'd made from the deer he'd caught several days ago.

"You know you never answered my question before." She said as she looked over at him.

Daryl looked at her confused. "What question?"

"When did Lori tell you to stay away from me?"

"At the CDC." He replied simply as he shoved the last of his jerky in his mouth.

"The _CDC_? I was so friggin' miserable still then! How could she possibly think there was anything goin' on between us?" Now Abby was annoyed.

"Cause you rode with me instead of Shane? Anyways, you'd locked yerself in yer room after supper. I'd gone ta check on you, brought a bottle of whiskey with me, but Lori saw me standin' there 'bout to knock. Told me to hit the road an' stop tryin' to take advantage of woman in mourning. Accused me of bangin' you at our first camp site, while Martin was still alive." Daryl grunted as he shook his head.

"I can't believe her!" Abby said moving on to anger. "She totally told Rick all that! That's why he came at me a couple days ago!"

"Is that what you two were tearing into each other 'bout?" Daryl asked in surprise.

"No, well yes but that was only a part of the conversation." Abby paused then sighed. "As you heard before, Lori is pregnant. Rick thought I'd been keeping it from him and got mad that I didn't practically tie the woman up to prevent her from takin' those damn abortion pills."

Daryl frowned at her. "Wait, what?"

"Apparently took those damn pills, then she threw them up again but yeah, she tried to abort her pregnancy." Abby shook her head angrily. "You know she never actually told him!? He just found the empty wrapper for the pills in their tent and I found out by going with Glenn and Maggie to get the damn things!"

"That's messed up." Daryl said with a frown. "Noticed you givin' her the cold shoulder lately. Figured she might've said the same shit to you as she'd said to me."

Abby scoffed. "Give her time, she probably will. Always did like sticking her nose into my shit. Should be focusing on her own messed up marriage." Daryl didn't respond but Abby figured he either didn't know how or didn't figure it was any of his business. "Sorry, you don't really need to hear 'bout my family drama."

Daryl just shrugged in response, so they just sat there in silence for a while before Abby broke the silence again.

"You gonna let me drive your chopper?" She asked him with a mischievous grin.

He smiled at her. "Still no, just cus' we screwed don't mean I'm gonna let you do whatever you want."

Abby chuckled as she slapped his leg then frowned when a thought crossed her mind. "Why don't you have your own motorcycle? You obviously ride, but you said the chopper was Merle's."

Daryl sighed in irritation. "I did have my own but my shitfaced brother totalled it. Nice thing too, spent the last six years makin' it all nice."

"Why was Merle riding your bike when he had his own?" Abby asked.

Daryl made a sound that almost sounded like a growl. "Him and I decided to stay in and get drunk one night, thought it'd be a good idea until we ran out of booze. I was done but that ugly sack of shit was so pissed faced drunk that he wanted to get more booze, so I hid his keys on 'im. Even drunk I wasn't that stupid. Went and passed out in my bed and woke up in the mornin' with some cops banging at my door, askin' me if was missin' my bike and sure enough, Merle's chopper was still there and my Harley was gone. When they told me it was Merle who'd taken it, I was so pissed but when they asked if I wanted to press charges…well he might be an asshole but he was my brother so I said no." Daryl shook his head, obviously still mad about it.

"Did Merle get hurt?"

"A little road rash but nothin' serious, ditched it in time to save his hairy ass. Most of the damage to my bike came from a semi hittin' it after Merle'd ditched it. Spent three months in prison though, for reckless endangerment and a DUI. Had no insurance on it so I couldn't damn well replace it. Bought that crappy truck for a couple hundred bucks and had to fix it up." Daryl laughed bitterly. "I had just picked Merle up from the county jail the day before the evacuation order."

"I'm sorry 'bout your bike, I'd be pissed too. Especially if I'd been workin' on it for so long." Abby said with the shake of her head.

Daryl sighed and got to his feet. "Should probably start makin' our way back." He said offering her his hand.

Abby took it but this time got up on her own strength, not wanting to hurt him. Daryl turned and started walking off but stopped to looked back at her, then held out his crossbow.

"You wanna try?" He asked her.

Abby smiled, delighted that he'd offered. "Hell yeah!"

He put it in her hands and showed her how to hold it properly; although she was pretty sure he was touching her way more than necessary, which was making it hard for her to concentrate on what he was telling her but she managed to get the gist of what he was saying.

They walked a short distance before Daryl found rabbit tracks and pointed them out. Half the time she didn't see what he saw, apparently having really good eyes, but she trusted what he was telling her as they followed the tracks. After about ten minutes of tracking, the rabbit came into view and Daryl came up close behind her to whisper in her ear.

"You sure you can hit it from this far? This ain't no sniper rifle."

Abby just nodded her head in reply, so Daryl practically wrapped himself around her as she lined up the sights. Daryl wrapped his hand around hers and tweaked her aim a little as he looked over her shoulder, his head beside hers, then let go of the crossbow and let her pull the trigger on her own.

Abby was unprepared for the kick the crossbow had, punching back into her shoulder which caused her to stagger back a bit into Daryl's chest. Fortunately, she still hit her mark, hitting the rabbit right in the ribs. Abby made an annoyed face as she turned around and looked at a smiling Daryl.

"Has more kick then I expected." She confessed, face reddening in embarrassment.

"I noticed." He said and she swatted him gently in the face. "You still hit yer target though."

"Glad you find this so amusing." She tried to growl at him but couldn't keep the smirk from her face.

"Wanna try again?" He asked as he stepped around her, walked over to her kill, pulled it off the bolt and added it to the string of animals hanging from his belt.

"Well I ain't gonna let that be the thing you remember every time you look at your crossbow." She managed to grumble.

Daryl handed her the bolt, still smiling. "I'm pretty sure no matter what you do, I'll still remember that till the day I die." Abby shoved him hard but he only took a small step back.

He snatched her wrist gently but firmly in his big hands and pulled her against his body. "Yer gonna have to shove me a lot harder then that, Petunia." He said then bent his head down and kissed her, letting go of her wrist he wrapped his one arm around her waist and the other hand up in her hair.

Abby dropped his crossbow on the ground freeing her hands to wrap her arms around his neck and let his hand wander up under her shirt and then back down the inside of her pants. Daryl had just pushed her up against a tree when a very close growl, interrupted them. Daryl rolled away from her and revealed a walker less then six feet away.

It kicked and stumbled over Daryl's crossbow as Daryl pulled out his knife, grabbed the walker by the collar of its shirt and drove the blade into its skull. Abby had her knife in hand also as they both looked around for a potential second as Daryl picked up his crossbow.

"Well that was awfully rude." Abby said while she tried to slow her breathing, still breathless for Daryl's hungry kisses.

Daryl smirked at her then sighed. "Should call it a day, not push our luck."

Abby rolled her eyes, "Yeah probably." She said with an exaggerated sigh. "The forest these days, probably aren't a good place to be hookin' up anyways."

Daryl snorted and started walking off. "Ain't no privacy in this world no more." He grumbled as he went.

"Good thing your tent is a good distance off from everyone else." She said mischievously. Apparently having sex with Daryl just once was like opening Pandora's box, letting out all those pent-up desire's that she'd boxed up over all those years married to Martin.

"You were just shittin' with me when you said you ain't had sex in five years, right? I mean that'd be well before you even got deployed, right?" He asked while he walked ahead of her.

"Wish I was. Martin didn't have much of a sex drive, really. To be totally honest, I was probably only with that man a dozen times…maybe less." Abby said shaking her head.

Daryl stopped and looked back at her. "You lyin'. How can you be with a man for ten years and have banged him only a dozen times or less? That's jus' unnatural!"

"I seriously ain't lyin'!" She insisted. "I tried to get some action, but the man just didn't want it. You'd figure after not seein' your wife for years at time, you'd have some desire to screw her but nope, nothin'. Pretty sure he was preparin' to divorce me before I got back but then I came home with PTSD. I guess he felt guilty and decided to stay a while longer."

"So, either he had a mistress or liked men." Daryl concluded.

Abby paused, she'd never thought that Martin might be gay. "I thinkin' probably the latter." She finally answered. "Basically, he only touched me in the first nine months of our marriage. We were more like 'good friends' then anything."

"And you never cheated on him?" Daryl asked incredulously.

"Well…" Abby hesitated, that was not something you generally wanted brought up in the beginning of a relationship.

"You did!" Daryl started looking at her carefully, she could tell he was trying not to judge but considering they were now together…sort of, it was probably hard for him to not judge.

"Well you know how I just said 'he only touched me the first nine months'?" She asked him and he nodded. "Well that's the last time I had sex with him. It wasn't him I was with, five years ago, it was Jeremy…one Rick's best friends. Rick was almost as close to as him, as him and Shane…were. Jeremy kinda was my kryptonite. Before I got married, we hooked up several times. After I got married, I pointedly ignored him; which was hard since whenever I was home he was around.

"When I got home from my tours, Martin pretty much ignored me and refused to go home with me to King county and visit our families. So, I went by myself. I went out drinking no night…and wound up in his bed…a couple of times." Abby winced. "I hated myself so much for cheatin' but I was just so desperate for attention and Jeremy always knew how to make me feel good 'bout myself. He always treated me good."

"If you liked him so much, why didn't you marry him, instead?" Daryl asked, seemingly calm.

"Cause he was Rick's friend and I knew if we started dating him, that'd be the end of their friendship. Jeremy was about as much of a rebel as I was, he just didn't' get the attention like I did. After my folks died, I was all about doin' what I thought they'd approve of. They wouldn't have approved of Jeremy but they would've loved Martin. So…I married Martin."

"That's stupid." Daryl said with the shake of his head.

"You're right it is but I was a teenager then. I really should've listened to Rick, he _really_ didn't want me marryin' him but I was scared of bein' alone and he seemed like a good choice on paper." Abby gave Daryl a pained expression. "I know what I did with Jeremy was wrong but I ain't the cheatin' kind, I'd never do that again…especially not to you."

Daryl just nodded then turned and continued walking back to camp. When they reached the edge of the woods, Abby jogged to catch up to Daryl who'd put some distance between them and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked worriedly.

Daryl sighed tiredly as he thought, then shook his head. "No, guess not. Just caught me a little off guard, didn't expect that from you. Don't know how many people woulda put up with that, can't really blame you for lookin' some where's else for some attention."

"That's the only time, I swear." She said sincerely, not that there haven't been times where she'd nearly buckled.

Daryl inspected her face carefully, then nodded. "I believe you." And started forward again. "No wonder you jumped me." He called over his shoulder as continued forward.

When they got back, they parted ways with Daryl taking their prey to his campsite while Abby went into the house and went for a visit with Beth, it was lunch time and Beth sat in bed slowly munching on her meal.

"It's good to see you eatin'." Abby said as she leaned against the door frame.

Beth smiled at her weakly. "Yeah. Hey, where did you go? I asked for you but no one seemed to know where you were."

"Just went out huntin' with Daryl." Abby said with a shrug. "Need something?"

"Just some company that isn't my family." She said with a sigh.

"Wanna go for a walk when you're with that?" Abby asked.

"Okay, you can teach me how to make fire without matches or a lighter or maybe gun maintenance?" Beth suggested.

Abby chuckled. "Sure."

Abby came in further into the room, sitting down in a chair. They sat silently for a moment while Beth continued to munch on food, then Beth looked over at her then frowned and squinted at her as she leaned forward to get a better look. "Is that a…hicky?" She said point at Abby's neck.

 _Shit!_ Abby thought while she tried to recall when Daryl could've given her one, probably back in his tent. His mouth was all over her. "No." Abby lied

"Abigail, there you are!" Rick said as he entered the room. "Where were you?"

Abby was in the middle of having an internal panic attack, but she managed to keep it from her face. Desperately hoping Rick hadn't just overheard their conversation and that the apparent hicky wasn't that visible.

"Went huntin' with Daryl. We both got bored sitting 'round camp, so we took off." Abby said playing it cool.

"Don't go runnin' off like that without tellin' anyone!" He said curtly causing Abby to frown, she could see a bit of suspicion in his eye.

"I can take care of myself, Rick and I ain't stupid! Don't you dare start treatin' me like a child now!" Abby's said icily.

Rick let out an irritated sigh, then paused a moment to cool himself down. "I'm not questioning your abilities but things are gettin' more and more dangerous. If somethin' were to happen, at least we'd know where to look."

"Fine _dad_ , I'll tell you when I take off again!" Abby said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not just sayin' this to you but everyone, okay?" Rick sighed in irritation again then turned and walked away.

Beth chuckled lightly. "Good to know that, that doesn't go away as you age."

Abby grinned. "Nope! Although we do get along a lot better then when I was a teenager. Are you done?"

Beth pulled the covers back and swung her legs out over the side. "Yeah." She said then stood up and teetered a little. "Whoa." She exclaimed.

Abby helped steady her by grabbing her arms. "Probably still a little weak from not eating and laying in bed for over a day."

Once she steadied herself, the two turned and walked out of the room, then headed out the door; being gawked at by Beth's sister and boyfriend as they went. Abby offered Beth her hand as they approached the steps but she shook her head and grabbed the rail as she stepped down.

When Beth stepped off the last step, Abby indicated the direction of the RV with her head. "I'll show you how to maintain your gun." She said to Beth.

The girl smirked as she nodded and followed Abby to the RV. As they approached, Abby shaded her eyes as she looked up at Dale who was watching her approach. "You mind if we use the table of your RV for a little while?" She asked him.

"Sure, but can I talk to you privately for a moment?" He asked her.

Abby looked over at Beth as Dale climbed down from the RV. "Why don't you sit down in there. I'll be right back."

"Okay." Beth replied softly.

Abby and Dale wandered off towards the fence nearest to the camp. "Taken the girl under your wing, have you?" Dale said as they walked.

"Felt sorry for her, her family still treats her like a child and tries their damndest to shelter her from the truth and that will only get her killed. She deserves a chance." Abby said with a sigh.

"Seems like a sweet kid." Dale commented as they stopped at the fence. "I'm glad she has a strong female figure to look up to."

"So, what you need, Dale?" Abby asked as she leaned against the fence.

"I thought you should know what happened right before Shane opened up that barn." Dale started.

"Am I gonna wanna shoot him?" Abby asked as her face darkened.

"Probably. I already told Rick but I thought it best that I tell you in person too. When Glenn told the group about the barn and Shane went all ballistic on you two and Daryl, I thought it was best to hide those guns, remove them from the equation. Well apparently, that thought was warranted. Shortly after I took the bag into the woods, Shane tracked me and found me in the process of hiding them." Dale noticed her annoyed expression. "I know, I should have said something to you or your brother but I wasn't sure where you two stood and I was trying to protect the group in the only way I can."

Abby sighed. "It's fine Dale, I get it. Annoying but you meant well. Go on."

"Shane demanded that I turn the guns over to him but I refused. I basically got him to confess that he left Otis to die and he threatened my life as well. I could have shot him but…I couldn't." Dale sighed.

"Don't feel bad, Dale. Killing someone isn't easy, even for me who has killed many people." Abby said as she patted him on the shoulder. "Leave Shane to me."

Dale suddenly grabbed her arm firmly. "Don't do anything stupid!" He hissed at her.

"I ain't no murderer, Dale. I won't just kill him but if he pulls a gun on one more person, I _will_ put a bullet in his brain." Abby said coldly. "He'll screw up and when he does, I'll be there to stop him." Abby turned and walked back to the RV.

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I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! I'm interested in what people think I will do to Shane! Mwahaha! Reviews=Love

-Shockra


	12. Chapter 12

Good Evening! I hope everyone's weekend has started out well! Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadian readers, we'll all be happily feasting on turkey soon! And an FYI, I plan on writing my story in blocks not one big chunk. For example: this story is from season one to somewhere's into season three. The second story would be starting somewhere's in season three and probably end of season five? I haven't written that part yet so it isn't set in stone. The third story will start where ever the second ended and will probably end somewhere in the new seasons, maybe end of eight? Not sure yet. Anyways, enjoy!

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Abby quietly opened her tent, carefully looked around before crawling out. It was nearly pitch-black outside as Abby got to her feet, the clouds covered what little was left of the moon and bringing a chill to the air. As she walked silently over the grass, she noticed that every one was fast asleep, except for Dale who was on top of his trailer looking in the opposite direction but that was to be expected since it was well past two in the morning. Off in the distance, Abby could see Daryl sitting by his fire and chewing on one of his squirrels, waiting.

Abby quietly crept passed the tents, managing to escape Dale's notice and over to Daryl's campsite. When she got close, she skirted around the edges of the campfires light and behind Daryl, then reached out and touched his shoulder, trying to keep out of the firelight. Daryl stood up without looking back, took her hand as he turned and the two of them quietly walked back to his tent crawling inside.

A little while later the two of them lay on their backs panting, spent from their vigorous love making. When she finally caught her breath, Abby rolled onto her side, laid her arm across Daryl's torso and put her head on his shoulder as Daryl wrapped his arms around her. In the week since they had started their liaison, Abby had really gotten to know Daryl. While she enjoyed the amazing sex, she had become more and more enamored with the man. The man wasn't quite what he seemed, which she had figured already but even she was shocked with how affectionate he was with her when they were alone.

He'd even started to open up to her about things but he still was cautious about certain things, mostly his childhood. If she pressed too hard, he'd get angry about her bothering him about it but he did share somethings about his relationship with Merle; which was incredibly unhealthy. Most of Daryl's way of thinking was brought forth by Merle, who seemed to be Daryl's most influential figure in his life and Daryl had never really had reason before to doubt his brothers messed up world view. From what he'd told her, everyone he met just assumed the worse about him and so he come to assume the worse of others.

Some of the stories he told her, disturbed her. She couldn't believe people could be so cruel. She also couldn't believe that Daryl had started to like and trust Rick, despite him being a cop; a profession which Daryl expressed much disliking. Some of Daryl's experiences were pretty terrible, it was a wonder that he'd never ended up in jail but most of his negative run ins with the law tend to be because of something stupid that Merle had either done or said.

"Tell me something stupid, you'd done." Daryl's voice rumbled as his fingers started tracing the line of her spine, sent a pleasant shiver up it.

"I'm pretty sure I've told you a few of those." Abby said with a chuckle then kissed his chest.

"Tell me a funny one." He said sleepily.

"Fine but you'll have to tell me a good one too." Abby sighed to which Daryl just grunted his agreement. Abby was quiet for while, while she thought of a good story. "The first time I was deployed, I was barely twenty years old." She started as she traced the tattoo on his chest "I was out on my first mission with my unit. Most of the guys were veterans, you know late thirties early forties, I was probably assigned to their unit so they could babysit me. Anyways, we came to this small village and when I say small I mean like ten families.

"We stopped because I had to take a serious piss. Like my bladder felt like I was going to explode!" Abby exclaimed making Daryl chuckle. "So, the guys tell me to ask one of the local women for somewhere to piss and so I climb out, go talk to the women, who don't speak a word of English and that was all I spoke _then_ …"

"You know other languages?" Daryl asked in surprised.

"I don't speak anythin' fluently but I've learned key phrases in various languages, like 'where's the bathroom?'." She chuckled. "Anyways, the guys are howling in laughter because I ain't gettin' no where's and I'm starting to do the pee-pee dance, cause the pressure is so bad! I haven't had to piss so bad in my life ever, I thought I was gonna wet myself!" They both laughed.

"I ain't hearin' anything stupid, yet." Daryl said.

"Just wait." She said poking him in the chest. "Anyways, I was gettin' desperate. So, I look around and there wasn't anything that resembles an outhouse, which apparently isn't a thing there. Apparently, they piss in pots and the women dispose of the waste in a nearby pit. So, as I'm lookin' around there ain't no bush, no outhouse. Then I see this goat...shack. So, I go over there, figure it's about as private as it was gonna get. I climb in side, squat down and do my business, the best piss of my life! Just as I pull up my pants, this damn goat charges me and headbutts me in the ass, and I land on my hip in this huge pile of goat shit!"

Daryl body starts shaking as he covered his face as he tried to supress his laughter, only partially succeeding. "You landed in goat shit!" He managed to choke out.

Abby propped herself up on her elbow and smiled down at Daryl. "Oh, it gets better. I get up and leave that stupid shack and the guys see me covered in shit and the start howling again, I mean I can see the Humvee shakin'. So, I go over rip the door open, pull out my bag. The guys start tryin' to talk but they can't stop laughin'. We were on a three-day mission so I'd packed a spare pair of pants. At this point, I'm like screw privacy _or_ decency and just whip my belt off an' throw it on the seat along with all the stuff in my pockets, and just drop my pants. The guys start settling down and have the decency to look away but one guys, lieutenant Granger. So, I step out of my pants, pick 'em up and throw my shit cover pants at 'im and yell 'what're you lookin' at asshole!' and that's where the stupid comes in.

"I threw the pants at Granger but extra weight of the shit changed it trajectory of the pants enough that the shit end whipped around and smacked my team leader square in the face! He was so mad! Thankfully, he never reported me, just made my life a living hell for the first few months. The guys certainly like to bring it up a lot, the guys called me Gabby Goat or just Gabby."

"That's pretty good!" Daryl said as he tried to control the laughter that wanted to break out.

"Your turn." She said.

"Done plenty of stupid, don't know how much of its funny." Daryl said he pushed her on to her back, then started kissing her neck.

"Come on, Daryl, you promised!" She complained suppressing the moan that was rising in her throat as he climbed on top of her, and running his hands over her curves.

"Wiped my ass with poison ivy when I was ten. That count?" He said between kisses down her throat to her collar bone.

"Oh hell, sure!" She said and pulled his face up to hers and kissed him deeply.

An hour later, Abby quietly crawled out of Daryl's tent and carefully made her way back to her own, then crawled in side and passed out, feeling immensely content.

The next morning, she woke to someone calling her name. Abby groaned as the light hit her face as she pulled back the sleeping bag back from her face.

"Be right out!" She mumbled as she rolled out of bed. She grabbed a small mirror and checked her neck. She had scolded Daryl after Beth had told her she had a hickey on her neck. Told him to keep that sort of thing where she could hide it beneath her clothing. Lucky for Daryl, he listened pretty well.

Abby stepped out of the tent and was met with an anxious looking Dale. Abby frowned at him as she stood up.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"Rick and Shane are taking the kid out today, just the two of them. They're about to leave." Dale said.

Abby cursed and looked over to where Rick stood by the back of the newer SUV that Shane had gotten running, preparing the back for their prisoner. Abby trotted up to him, just as he slammed the hatch shut.

"Rick, can I talk to you a moment?" She asked him.

"If this is about the kid, I don't want to hear about it." Rick said with a sigh.

"No, I don't care what you're plannin' on doing with him. This is something else." Abby said seriously.

"Can it wait?" Rick sounded annoyed but she could see he was trying to be patient.

"No, it can't." She said solemnly.

"Alright." He said putting a hand on her shoulder and the two of them walked several feet away so Shane, who was standing by the passenger door, couldn't hear.

When they stopped next to the stable, she looked at him worriedly. "I don't like you goin' off on your own with Shane." She said honestly. "He's too unstable."

Rick studied her carefully. "He ain't gonna shoot me." Rick said confidently.

"There's more than one way to kill someone, especially in this day and age. Dale told me that Shane pretty much confessed to leaving Otis and threatened Dale's life." Abby had a bad feeling.

Rick smirked a little and shook his head. "I think you forget that _I'm_ the older one here. _I'm_ supposed to be lookin' after _you,_ not the other way around." Then hugged her tightly. "I know what I'm doing, I'll be fine."

"At least let someone else go with you two!" She pleaded, voice muffled by his shoulder.

Rick stepped back and patted her cheek. "Him and I need a heart to heart, and having someone there isn't going to work. It'll be fine."

"If you're not back by three, I'm going to look for you and if Shane comes back and you don't; he's getting a bullet to the head no matter how good his story." She said fiercely.

Rick grabbed her face. "I will be fine." Rick punctuated each word, then kissed her forehead and walked back to the SUV.

She watched as both Rick and Shane climbed into the vehicle then drove off. Dale came up beside her as she continued to watch the vehicle drive off into the distance.

"What are you going to do?" Dale asked her.

"Wait till three then grab my rifle and blow Shane's brains out." Abby turned around, planning on walking back to camp but stopped when she realized that half the camp was standing there. Andrea, Amy, T-Dog and Glenn stared at her in shock.

"You plan on murdering Shane!" Andrea said in exasperation.

"No, I plan on getting retribution after he murders or attempts to murder Rick." Abby said not willing to be bullied or take back what she'd just said.

"Why would Shane try and kill Rick?" Amy asked.

"Because he's been lookin' for an opening since Atlanta." Abby sneered. "He thinks Lori belongs to him, like she's some possession and he can't handle it that she wants Rick instead of him. He wants to steal Rick's family and make it his own."

"I think your mental issues are making you make things up and believe that they're real." Andrea said putting her hands on her hip, making Abby's face darken.

"Actually, I saw Shane point a shotgun at Rick in the forest and hold it there. Then he threatened me just last week!" Dale said coming to her defense.

"He probably mistook Rick for a walker." Andrea said.

"No, he definitely knew whom he was pointing that gun at." Dale said for Abby.

"Why haven't you two said anything before?" Glenn asked.

"Because y'all a bunch of morons." Daryl said as be walked out of the stables. "You'd do somethin' stupid."

"You knew?" T-Dog asked.

"Told me after we left the CDC." Daryl looked at Abby. "Should tell 'em the other thing you told me."

"What other thing?" Dale asked looking at Abby shocked.

Abby thought about it, then let out a frustrated sigh. "She certainly likes to air my dirty laundry out to everyone else so, what the hell. Back at the CDC, Shane tried to force himself on to Lori. Came into the room with her screaming at him to get off her. Tackled that shit to the ground and beat on him a bit."

"So, if we ask Lori, she's going to confirm that?" Amy asked.

"Yeah but don't you dare do it with in earshot of Carl!" Abby hissed. "He don't need to be dragged into adult problems!"

"Don't worry, Abby we wouldn't do that!" Glenn said sincerely.

"I believe Abby, she don't have no reason to lie." T-Dog said.

"I don't think she's lying either" Andrea said turning to the group "I just don't think she's quite thinking straight, I mean that's what PTSD does right? Makes people delusional?"

"That is wrong, dumbass." Abby growled through gritted teeth. "PTSD stands for post traumatic stress disorder. Means I've seen a lot of messed up shit, and I tend to relive it a lot like see friends get blown up by suicide bombers. Now days, I just get nightmares every now and again, reliving things that happened to me or did to others. Like watching one of the eighty plus kills I did on tours. I started buckling on missions, I'd look down my scope and I'd…." Abby turned away. "That don't happen any more, Atlanta proved that." Abby said softly then turned angrily back to Andrea. "But I ain't delusional! Shane was my brothers best friend! I've known him since I was a little girl! You think I _want_ to find something wrong with him?!"

Abby turned on her heel and stalked off towards her tent. As she walked off, she heard Daryl say. "Like I said, morons." Abby stomped through the camp, storming right by Lori and Carol with the kids. Lori reached out to stop Abby, seeing that she was upset but Abby shrugged her hand off and growled, "Leave me alone." Then stepped in side her tent and flopped on to her bed.

"What's going on?" Abby heard Carol ask someone.

There was a muffled response but Abby couldn't hear it nor did she want too. About twenty minute later, Abby heard footsteps come up to the side of her tent, then felt her bed get kicked through the tent. She instantly knew who it was and despite herself, she couldn't help but smile.

"Quit yer mopin'." Daryl said.

"Daryl!" Lori scolded him.

"The Greene girls are lookin' for ya." Daryl continued, ignoring Lori.

Abby rolled to her feet and went outside. "Since when did you become a messenger boy?" She asked, smirking at him slightly.

Daryl tried to look irritated but when he turned away, she could see the smirk break across his face. They were trying hard to hide their relationship and they'd done well so far but it was getting harder and harder and they were only a week in. Abby turned away from him and saw both girls walking back to the house, so Abby trotted after them.

"Hey!" Abby called after them and they both stopped and looked at her, then waited for her to catch up.

"Lori said you weren't feeling well." Maggie said when she'd caught up.

"I'm fine just pissed at them, again. Can't just leave and get some air anymore so I decided to try and take a nap." Abby said with a shrug.

"You seem to get mad at them a lot." Beth observed.

"Bethy!" Maggie scolded.

"Its fine, most of those people aren't exactly my kind of people but I need them so my family can survive…and I'm naturally short-tempered. What can I do for you ladies?" Abby finally asked.

"Bethy said you've been teaching her some self-defence." Maggie stated.

Abby looked at Beth but she smiled back at her and nodded in assurance. "Thought it'd be good for her to know some self-defence and other survival skills." Abby responded.

"No, that's great! Can you teach me?" Maggie asked.

Abby raised an eyebrow. "Sure. I need something to distract me until three, we can do this now if you want."

Both girls nodded their heads then Beth grabbed Abby's hand and lead her back to where they'd been having their 'classes'. Maggie smiled and laughed as the entered the clearing.

"So, this is where you've been hidin'!" She exclaimed, sounding almost delighted.

Maggie went through the same exercises that Abby had gotten Beth to do and it turned out that Maggie was incredibly adept. After a couple of hours of self-defence, the three women were extremely hot and sweaty, so Abby moved on to survival skills. She had tried to teach Beth the basic stuff but she seemed to know most of that sort of stuff already so she went straight into more advanced knowledge. When noon rolled around Daryl suddenly appeared startling the girls, not expecting to be found but Abby just chuckled.

"Daryl here, is a tracker. If he wants to find you, he more than likely will." Abby said.

"Wondered where you'd been disappearin' too with blondie all week." He said leaning against a tree.

"My names Beth." Beth said slightly indignant.

"He knows that, just bein'…Daryl." Abby said.

"You track?" Maggie asked Daryl. "Can you teach us that? Or do you know how to do that, Abby?"

"I know the basics but Daryl's infinitely better than I. Probably knows more survival type tricks that I don't know." Abby said smirking at him.

Daryl grunted. "I could. Never taught nothin' to anyone b'fore so I don't know how good I'd be at it."

"It's lunch time so how about we get these ladies to find some lunch?" Abby suggested

"Do you know how to find lunch, besides meat?" Daryl asked her with a quirked eyebrow.

Abby picked up a stone and threw it at him but Daryl just smirked as he side-stepped it. "Go get your crossbow, you big jerk!" Abby said laughing. Daryl turned and moseyed back the way he'd come.

Beth eyed her suspiciously, then looked back at Daryl. "You don't seem to have a problem with Daryl."

"It shouldn't be all that shocking that the two outcasts get along." Abby said ignoring what Beth was implying.

"What problem do you have with the others anyways?" Maggie asked frowning. "Most of them seem pretty decent."

"My problem is mostly with Andrea and Shane but the others are like sheep sometimes. One person picks a fight and they all jump on board. They thinking I'm nuts, is the main problem and they keep bringin' it up." Abby said giving a tired sigh.

"Glenn doesn't think you're nuts, he actually thinks you're pretty amazin'. Told me some of the stuff you'd done since he'd met you. Even called you GI Jane!" Maggie said with a chuckle.

"Yeah Glenn is a good guy, you're lucky." Abby said smiling as she patted Maggie on the shoulder.

The ladies talked a while longer, as they waited for Daryl to return. When he did, he'd brought her rifle with him and two pistols. "You ladies know how to use those, right?" He asked them as he handed Maggie and Beth each a hand gun.

"Yeah." Maggie said confidently. While Beth answered somewhat less confident.

"Been shot once in the last week and a half rather not be again." Daryl growled out.

"Just keep the weapons pointed at the ground if you're holding them, until you're ready to use it and you should be fine." Abby said with a chuckle.

Daryl turned and walked off further into the woods without a word and both girls looked at Abby with raised eyebrows. Abby motioned for them to follow him then followed last. Daryl walked quite far into the woods, looking all around him as he went, before stopping and kneeling down. He motioned for the three of them to come over and pointed down to a plant growing on the ground, then plucked it and separated the plant into three portions.

"It's edible, won't fill you up much but if there's nothin' else, its somethin'. Also, good to wrap 'round a rabbit and cooked o'er a fire."

And so, the next couple hours went, Daryl would stop, point out something that was edible, make them taste it, then moved on. He also shot a couple of squirrels, skinned them, then made Maggie and Beth put their new-found fire making skills to use and cooked the squirrels.

"Well ladies," Abby said after she finished her portion of squirrel. "It's nearly three, so I better be getting and hope my brother is back."

"This was actually quite fun!" Beth said enthusiastically.

"Don't know how much I'll remember but yeah it was fun." Maggie agreed.

Daryl turned and started walking back, taking a completely different track than they'd come but they all seemed to know where they were. Abby followed right be side Daryl, having to resist the urge to hold his hand, as the sisters talked to each other behind them. As the approached the end of the woods Maggie spoke up again.

"Hey, Daryl. Where'd you learn all this anyways?" She asked him.

Daryl glanced slightly over his shoulder. "Mostly my brother, Merle."

"Mostly?" Abby asked.

"Taught myself some stuff." Daryl said.

"Let me guess, by putting it in your mouth?" Abby asked grinning at him.

"I read sometimes, you know." Daryl mumbled.

"I know, just pestering you." She said nudging his arm with her elbow.

"Hey Abby, what's happening at three o'clock?" Beth asked.

"If my brother ain't, back then I'm going to find him." Abby replied.

"Is that what y'all were arguing about?" Maggie asked.

"No, not exactly anyways." Abby answered.

Finally, they exited the cover the trees and immediately Abby saw that the SUV was in fact back, so she hoisted her rifle up to her shoulder, tensing as she anticipated what she might have to do and turned off her emotions. Daryl glanced over at her, watched her a second then walked forward again. As they came into camp, Rick suddenly appeared from his tent, wiping his face with a towel and Abby finally relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.

As they approached, Beth and Maggie veered off to their house, talking happily and the rest of the camp gathered around Rick, including Shane. Abby went up to Rick and gave him a hug.

"Told you I'd be fine." He whispered into her ear.

"It done?" Daryl asked him.

"We ran into a bit of a…problem." Rick said in irritation. "It would seem that Randall knows Maggie, went to school with her. Said she wouldn't know him but knew of her, said everyone knew her father."

"So, the boy might know where we are?" Daryl asked.

"That's what we need to find out, that and more about his group. How many, what kind of weapons, that sort of thing." Rick replied.

Daryl got a dark look on his face. "Leave that too me, I'll find out."

"I used to interrogate prisoners for a living, I can deal with it." Rick volunteered.

"You questioned people, not interrogated, not the same thing. I'll deal with it." Daryl said firmly then turned and walked to where they'd been keeping the kid before they tried to ditch him.

"Daryl, wait!" Rick called and trotted to catch up to him. "Wait till the morning let the kid sweat it out for now, might be more cooperative in the morning." Daryl stopped and looked back at him. "I need to think somethings through first. In the morning. Okay?"

After a moment Daryl nodded reluctantly and walked off to his tent in stead. Rick turned back to camp and answered the flurry of questions about the kid coming back but he mostly told them that he'd answer it in the morning, that he needed time to think. When everyone started parting ways, Abby noticed Andrea giving Rick a meaningful look before walking to Dale's RV and climbing on top.

With a sigh and look of dread, Rick took Abby by the arm. "Abigail, we need to talk." Abby didn't like his tone but she let him guide her away anyways. When they were both out of earshot and out of sight Rick finally stopped and looked her straight in the eye. The way he did when he wanted to know if she was lying or not. "Sis, some of the others are really quite concerned about you! They say you're behaving irrationally, said you flew off the handle after I left."

"You mean Andrea thinks I'm irrational." Abby growled.

"Not just her, others are worried too. They think you're cracking under the stress of everything. Said you threatened to kill Shane." When he mentioned Shane, real worry came into his face, probably knowing that she had been fully serious.

"Only if he tried to or killed you, I don't trust him Rick! If anyone is cracking, its him!" Anger was rising in her but Abby knew that if she lost her temper now, it'd only make things worse.

"Abigail, they've asked me to take your weapons away. Knives and everything." Rick sighed and rubbed his face in frustration then looked up at her and studied her carefully.

"What?" She hissed angrily, shocked, blinking hard to keep tears from forming. It hurt her deeply to think that her brother might not actually trust her, that he might actually think she'd gone crazy.

Rick shook his head angrily. "But I ain't gonna do that. You're not a danger to no one." Abby nearly started sobbing in relief but she managed to hold in. Rick grabbed her and pulled her in for a hug. "I know you're just tryin' to protect me, baby girl." He said soothingly then kissed her temple.

When she'd calmed down, Rick put an arm around her shoulder and walked her back to the camp where almost everyone still lingered. A couple of faces looked up in expectation while others seemed embarrassed, trying to avoid her gaze. Daryl had re-emerged from his tent, looking supremely pissed.

Rick looked around their group. "Now I know some of y'all requested I take Abigail's weapons from her because you think she's become unstable. Now most of you have known her for only a few months at most and I don't think you have any right to pass judgement on her. So far as I can tell, the only reason y'all think she might do something is because of her bein' diagnosed with PTSD and quite frankly y'all know jack about it.

"I know my baby sister, she ain't unstable, trust me I know what that looks like. Abigail is just lookin' out for all of you, the only way she knows how. She ain't a danger to no one but those who try an' hurt us. So, I ain't gonna take her weapons and I don't want to hear another word about it. You don't like her yelling at you, then leave her be an' she won't yell at you." Having said his peace, he patted her shoulder then turned and walked to the house, probably wanting to talk with Hershel.

"You're just a bunch of bullies! Stop bein' mean to her!" Carl shouted angrily after his father was out of earshot, surprising everyone. He marched forward, grabbed Abby's hand and pulled her off towards the horses. "Come on, Aunty. You can teach about horses." He said as he led her to the stable.

Once in side, Carl walked up to one of the horses and petted its nose. "You used to ride horses a lot when you were my age, right?" He asked her.

"Yup, even did some barrel racing. Stopped when I turned sixteen though." Abby came up beside him with a handful of oats and held it out for the horse to nibble on.

"Why?" Carl asked looking confused.

"Why did I stop?" She asked him and Carl nodded. "Lost interest, I guess. Got more interested in boys and motorcycles. Not the best decision of my life."

They were silent for several long minutes before Carl frowned and looked up at her. "Why do they think you'll hurt them? If anything, they badger you!"

Abby chuckled. "In case you haven't noticed, kiddo, I have short temper. The one thing your dad and I couldn't be more different about. That and I punched Shane a few times."

"So! Dad pointed his gun at Daryl a few times from what I overheard T-Dog say. Daryl and Dad get along just fine!" Carl's forehead creased as he frowned.

"Well your Dad is capable of getting along with almost anyone and despite what most people think, Daryl's actually a really nice guy and is quite reasonable. He's got a bit of temper like me, doesn't think too clearly when he's angry but once he's calmed down, he see's things for what they are and accepts them." Abby explained although a little miffed that Carl had heard about Rick putting the gun to Daryl's head.

"You really like Daryl, don't you? You send a lot of time with him." Carl observed.

"Like I said, he's a good guy. He's understands me better then most people do. Your dad is about the only one who understands me…well sort of, anyways." Carl was much to observant for his own good, that or else her and Daryl weren't as discreet as they thought they were.

"Do think he'd give me a ride on his motorbike?" Carl asked excitedly.

Abby laughed out loud. "He just might but I don't think your mom would let you."

Carl sighed dramatically. "Yeah like when you came to visit with your motorcycle, before you went back to war. I wanted a ride but mom wouldn't let me!"

"Yeah, moms are like that." Abby laughed and rubbed his shoulder.

"Why didn't you bring it this time? When you first came to visit us?" He looked up and her in disappointment.

Abby grinned and pinched his cheek. "Because I came with your Uncle and that's a long way to drive."

"Why didn't you just get it sent to King County like you did that other big package?" Carl asked.

Abby frowned. "Other package? I didn't send anything to your house! Why didn't your mom tell me?"

"Probably forgot about it. It arrived the morning that dad got shot, mom got mad and they argued about it." Carl shrugged. "He put it in the shed, he said he'd call you when he got off shift but well…you know."

"Did you see it?" Abby asked, she was expecting a package…back home, not at Rick's house.

"Yeah briefly. I was bigger than me! Both tall and almost wide. Dad said it wasn't terribly heavy, just awkward. Had some army stickers on it, dad said it'd been shipped from where ever you'd been deployed to last." Carl finally looked away from the horse and up at her. "What is it?"

"I could be wrong but I think that was my rifle!" Abby said excitedly. "I gotta go find your dad! Thanks for cheering me up, kiddo!"

Carl grinned at her. "Your welcome, auntie!"

Abby started for the door then turned back at the threshold. "Hey, did you get those comics I found for you?"

"Yeah, they're awesome! Thanks! You always get the best gifts!"

"Well you should partly thank Glenn, he recommended a couple of those." She smiled at him once more then stepped outside and looked around her. She didn't see him milling about the camp, which she was happy about, she didn't particularly want to go over there at the moment. So, Abby walked up to the house and knocked before entering.

As she entered, Abby heard some voices coming from the kitchen so she headed there and found Beth, Maggie and Glenn, talking. When Glenn saw her, he instantly looked at his toes but Abby ignored him and looked at the sisters.

"Have you seen Rick?" She asked them.

"He's upstairs, talking to Daddy." Beth answered as she chopped up some onions.

Maggie as giving Glenn a strange look, then looked at Abby, then back to Glenn. "What were y'all talking about?" She finally asked. "Glenn, you look like a kid who'd got caught with his hand in the cookie jar."

"The group thinks I'm batshit crazy, asked Rick to disarm me." Abby said breezily, trying to not let it bother her.

Glenn's head snapped up. "I don't think you're crazy! I had nothing to do with that!"

"Don't really care, Glenn. Could you let Rick know I'm looking for him?" She asked them. "I just gonna grab a book and read up in the barn loft, if you don't mind."

"That's fine." Maggie said nodding her head. "I'll let him know."

Abby turned and left the house, made a quick stop at her tent to grab her book then went to the barn and climbed up into the loft. It took almost two hours for Rick to finally come and find her. When he found her, she had moved several bales of hay into a line near the hay loft door, opening it so that she could get light while she read and a cooling breeze. She'd also retrieved a blanket from her tent and laid it on top of the hay so that the wouldn't hay would irritate her skin when she reclined on the hay bales.

"Maggie said you were looking for me." He said as he came up to her and sat at the foot of her improvised bed. "Quite the set up you got here." He commented.

"Thinking of moving here, since I'm not particularly wanted out there." Abby grumbled as she grabbed a piece of straw and used it as a bookmark as she sat up.

"Abby…" he started but she held up a hand.

"That's not what I wanted to talk about." She said interrupting him. "Actually, I'm not sure how important this is but I was talking to Carl and he said that a package arrived for me, the day you got shot. Said you put it in the shed but Lori never mentioned it. Do you know what it was?"

Rick frowned, thinking. After a long pause, she could see the light in his eyes as he finally remembered. "Oh! That's right! It was really big, probably about forty-five pounds or so. Had military stickers on it, came from the base you'd been last deployed to. Why?"

"I think it was my rifle." Abby said nodding to herself.

Rick nodded. "When I saw the package, I kinda wondered about that but I figure that you'd send it home."

"It shoulda been but I wasn't the one who sent my stuff. The guys packed my stuff up and sent it. My clothes and stuff they sent to Germany where I staying while I was under eval., guess they thought it was a better idea to send my rifle to you? I don't know why it'd end up there, maybe thought Martin an' I would get a divorce when I go home." Abby shrugged then smiled at him mischievously. "There wouldn't possibly be a chance to go get it would there? It's sixty miles from here, maybe Daryl and I can go on his bike. Leave in the morning come back by the evening?"

Rick sighed. "I'll think about it. Not in the next couple days though, we have to deal with that kid first."

"You know, if you're worried about an attack, my rifle would come in handy. Plus, there should be a silencer for my pistol and likely more bullets! The good kind too! Not the dollar store bullets everyone else uses."

"I'll _think_ about it, okay!" Rick smirked and pushed her shoulder.

Abby grinned at him as stood up. "You'd be the bestest big brother in the world!" Abby said giving him big doey eyes. Rick scoffed as he threw a handful of hay at her then left her alone to keep reading.

As the sun started fade, Abby was starting to have a hard time reading so she stood up to stretch then walked to the ladder only to have Daryl's head poke over the side. He smirked as he climbed up into the loft, forcing her to step back and showed off the two bottles of whiskey he'd taken from the CDC.

Abby returned the smirk, then turned back to where she'd been sitting and sat down once more, patting a spot beside her. Daryl opened the first bottle and handed it to her as he sat down, then opened the second bottle and laid back putting his head in her lap. They stayed that way for almost an hour, silently drinking while Abby stroked Daryl's forehead and cheeks.

It was dark by the time Abby finally broke the silence. "We might get a day trip?" She said to him lazily.

There was a long pause and Abby had thought maybe he hadn't heard her or had dozed off but when he finally answered, his words were slightly slurred. "What for?" He asked equally lazily.

"My rifle may in fact be in Georgia, at Rick's place." She said as she squinted down at the bottle in Daryl's hand, it was almost half empty while hers was still three quarters full.

Daryl sat up finally and put his bottle down, pulled hers out of her hand and put it down also before making her swing her legs up onto the bales so that she was lying on her back. "That's far for one rifle but if it gets me away from these people for a day, then I'm in." He mumbled as he put himself in between her legs and started kissing her neck.

"You don't hate those people." She said with a sigh. "You wouldn't really be having problems with them if I wasn't having problems with them."

Daryl stopped kissing her and looked her in the face. "They shouldn't be gangin' up on you like that, they have no reason!" Daryl sounded very angry, almost like he did when they'd left Merle on that roof.

Abby stroked his cheek. "They do have _some_ reason but its fine, I fit in with people about as well as you. The only place where I felt like I belonged, was in the Corps and even at that, with a select few." She brought his face down and kissed him. "I've got you and I've got Rick and I've got Carl, that's all I need."

She quickly flipped Daryl on to his back, causing him to grin as she reached down beside them and grabbed one of the bottles whisky. She kissed him again, then sat back on to his stomach, put the bottle to her lips and started chugging. Daryl pawed at the bottle.

"Save me some!" He complained.

Abby stopped drinking and reached down to grab the other bottle. "Here, we're supposed to havin' fun! That's why you came up here with alcohol, right!"

"Mmhmm." He took the bottle but put it down beside her and unbuttoned her pants. "Fun."

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I hope you liked it! As I told my one reviewer, I like writing my Rick/Abby scenes, I find them fun! Loving the reviews thus far and always love to hear...read more. I also don't read my author note's so if they tend to be full of errors, I'm so sorry. Reviews=Love

-Shockra


	13. Chapter 13

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews those who have favorited and followed me! I'm glad so many are enjoying my story, I didn't think it'd be so well received!

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The next morning Abby woke up in the hayloft alone with a splitting headache. It'd been the first night where they'd actually spent the night together and she couldn't remember most of it but she figured they'd spent most of it awake _rolling in the hay_ ,asshe was still naked. Daryl had the decency to put his vest over her chest and her button up shirt over her waist, so she wasn't entirely exposed. Typically, she spent a few hours in his tent before dressing and going back to her own. Despite being hungover and waking alone, she couldn't be happier.

When she'd dressed and braided her hair, so she didn't look like a complete disaster, she climbed down from the loft and walked off to Daryl's tent. She checked to make sure Daryl wasn't there then left his vest on his bed. As she walked back to camp, she saw everyone gathering around Rick once more and decided to join the group to see what the discussion was that was happening. As it turned out they were discussing Randall, again. Everyone quieted when they saw Daryl exit the shed that the kid was being held in and walked in their direction.

Daryl walked up without glancing at her and immediately started talking, squinting a little more than necessary, probably feeling a little hung over. "Boy there's got a gang, 30 men." He said as Abby gazed at him bloody knuckles. "They have heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here; our boys are dead. And our women they're gonna…they're gonna wish they were." Daryl's eye involuntarily flicked towards her.

"What did you do?" Carol asked him.

"Had a little chat." He answered simply and Carol turned away in disgust.

"No one goes near this guy." Rick said firmly.

"Rick, what are you gonna do?" Lori asked him.

"We have no choice, he's a threat." Rick answered solemnly. "We have to eliminate the threat."

"You're gonna just kill him?" Dale said in disbelief.

"What'd you want us to do throw in prison? Keep him locked up in the shed for the rest of his life?" Abby asked snidely.

Rick gave her a look that said 'shut up', then said out loud. "It's settled, I'll do it today." Then turned and looked at Abby then Daryl. "You get your wish, Abigail. You leave immediately. There and back, no pitstops, no distraction, you hear me? Be back by supper. Daryl, you're going with her. You and your bike can take shortcuts and get through tight spaces that a car can't get through."

"You sure? You might need someone to talk to the kid more." Daryl studied Rick carefully.

"I can handle it from here, until you come back." Rick said as he walked off, followed by Dale.

Daryl looked over at her. "Get somethin' warmer on, you're gonna get chilly dressed like that." He said indicating her shorts and tank top, although she did have a flannel shirt as well.

"You forget, I used to drive motorcycles, I know how to dress. I'll meet you by your bike." She said to him, he nodded and walked back towards his tent.

"Where you going?" Lori asked as she followed Abby to her tent.

Abby stepped in side her tent to change and zipped the door up with Lori still outside. "On an errand. Don't worry about it Lori." Abby's shorts were around her ankles when Lori unzipped the door and stepped inside and closed it behind her once more. "Have you ever heard of privacy?" Abby growled as crouched down and started digging through her back for her army pants.

"What's going on with you and Daryl?" Lori quietly hissed.

Abby rolled her eyes and stood up and started pulling on her pants. "Nothings going on. We're just friends." Abby whispered back.

"You didn't come back to your tent last night." Lori said unconvinced.

"I was reading, ask Rick. I fell asleep up in the hayloft." Abby looked down at her tank top and considered whether or not she wanted something warmer.

"You were off in the woods with him most of the afternoon!" Lori continued.

"What, are you keeping a detailed log of our interactions?" Abby glared as she pulled the tank top off and pulled on a more sensible t-shirt and pulled her flannel shirt on once more. "I was with the Greene sisters that entire time, Daryl found us and I asked him to show us some survival stuff like the types of foods you can find in the forest and he did."

Lori sighed. "He's no good, Abby. As a friend and most certainly as a boyfriend. Do you really think Rick will approve?"

"Rick doesn't give a rat's ass if I'm friends with Daryl and since that's all we are, that's all that matters." Abby grabbed her rifle, some spare bullets for her pistol and made sure she had her hunting knife and put a smaller blade into her boot. She reached around Lori, who was directly in front of the door, unzipped it and pushed passed her. "Stay out of my business Lori, you can't even handle your own."

Abby ignored the looks as she slung her rifle across her back and headed to Daryl's camp, where he waited. Daryl leaned against his bike, now dressed in a long-sleeved shirt with his vest over top and his crossbow strapped behind the back seat. He held out a stick with cooked meat hanging off of it.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?" He asked.

Abby took the meat as she stood in front of him. "Nope, thanks." She started eating the meat and glanced down at his hand. He'd cleaned the blood off of his hand but he'd broken the skin on his knuckles. "Didn't break anything, did you?" She asked as she indicated his hand.

Daryl scoffed. "No, used to hit Merle lot harder." He looked down suddenly then up at her again with a rueful expression. "Does it bother you, what I did?"

If they weren't being observed she'd have kissed him so she just smiled at him softly. "No, you did what was necessary. If it wasn't you it'd been Rick or Shane. Dealing with the people you probably dealt with, you're probably better at coming of as menacing than them. Especially to you kid like that."

Daryl turned and swung his leg over and sat on his bike. "You don't find me menacing." He said with a smirk.

Abby laughed. "Yeah well, I've seen you naked." She said as she stepped beside him and he shifted his body forward so she could climb on the bike behind him. "Come on sexy, lets get this show on the road."

Daryl sniggered as he started the bike. She wrapped her arms around his ribs, then he turned his bike and drove down the driveway. As soon as they hit the highway, Daryl opened the throttle up and zoomed down the road at a high speed. Abby giggled like a school girl in delight and let go of Daryl and opened her arms up.

As they rumbled down the highway, she felt more a live then she had in a long time. Abby noticed Daryl watching her with his side mirror, smiling. She wrapped her arms around his ribs once more, gave him a squeeze as she kissed the back of his neck and he reached back and squeezed her knee.

After the euphoria wore off, Abby placed her head on to Daryl's back and watched the scenery roll by. Slowly things became more and more familiar until finally she knew exactly where they were.

"Turn up here!" Abby yelled in to his ear as she pointed out a country road coming up in front of them. Daryl nodded and slowed down just before he turned down the dirt road.

Daryl had to slow down considerably for the unstable ground but it also gave him time to respond to her directions and after about ten minutes of twisting through country roads, they came to a smaller paved highway that lead into the back side of town. Daryl pulled to a stop at the back of a business at the edge of town.

"The choppers loud." He explained. "Rick said there was a lot of walkers around his house when he last saw it. Rather not attract any attention."

"Good thinking." She said then wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the lips. "That was a was fun, thanks."

Daryl smirked. "You looked like you were havin' fun." Daryl gave her rump a squeeze then turned away and unlatched his crossbow. "Com' on good lookin', lets get you your rifle."

Abby smirked and turned in a certain direction and started walking down the block. Daryl followed behind her, watching the rear and probably her rear. The town wasn't big, it only took them minutes to reach the residential area. As they peered around the corner of a building down the street Rick lived on, they only saw a few walkers but was enough to be a nuisance.

Abby looked back at Daryl. "Maybe we can take the back alley? Less likely to be seen by walkers and we'll end up in the backyard which is where we wanna be anyways."

"We could also get surrounded more easily." He pointed out.

"Good point." Abby said nodding.

"Rick give you a key? Might be food inside or if we need to hide, be nice to have somewhere to quickly retreat too." Daryl said after a pause.

"Yeah. So, what's gonna be? Front or back?" Abby asked. Daryl put his hand to his face and chuckled. "Oh, keep your mind out of the gutter man!" She said nudging him but smiling despite herself.

Daryl cleared his throat. "Sorry." Then looked down the street carefully. "We'll go in from the front." He said pointing to the nearest house. "Pretty much all those houses have porches. We might be able to go from porch to porch unnoticed."

Abby looked where he was looking. It was doable, especially with the shrubs in between. "Sounds good."

"I'll take point, since I have the silent crossbow. Which house is it?" He asked her.

"Fourth one down." Abby said as she pointed.

Thankfully Rick lived in an old part of town where there wasn't a lot of houses and big lots. The one side of the street was largely just shrubbery and trees while the other side had only six houses and the yards had been there for a hundred years so therefore, they had plenty of mature trees, flower bushes and hedges. Plenty of cover.

Daryl stepped closer to the corner then glanced back at her. She nodded at him that she was ready and after he watched the street for a moment, he made a mad dash for the nearest house. They reached it with no trouble, not one walker noticed them. They moved quickly across the porched, running as the bent over and stopped when they reached the first bush that separated the first house from the second.

Daryl paused to take aim, then shot a walker who was directly in their path. After looking around to see if the commotion had been noticed, they continued forward. Daryl made a quick detour to collect he bolt from the walker's head. They had too quickly squeeze behind the trunk of a large tree as two walkers suddenly appeared, shuffling a long from a back yard chasing a cat as it ran wildly down the street.

When they were out of danger, they carefully moved on to the third house and then finally they quietly trotted up the steps to Rick's house. Rick had locked the door when he'd left, after he'd woken up from his coma, hoping to preserve what was inside if they ever came back. Abby pulled the keys out of her pocket and stuck them in the door and it opened easily.

They stepped inside and Abby was struck with a bit of nostalgia. Rick had lived in this house since he'd married Lori and since their parents had died, she'd spent every Christmas that she was stateside, in this home. Abby lead him to the back of the house and Daryl stopped in the kitchen and looked around.

"Rick's got a nice house." He said with grunt. Then walked over to a cupboard and opened the door, "Definitely should come back in here. Tons of food."

"Yeah, shoulda grabbed some before we left. That was really stupid, we thought we'd be back here in a couple of weeks…Shane didn't help either." She looked over his shoulder at the nearly fully stocked cupboard. "Come on, lets get my package."

She slapped his ass then turned and walked to the back door. "No wonder I can't focus with you doin' shit like that." He grumbled as he followed her into the backyard.

The yard was fully fenced so, other than the over grown grass and weeds, it looked just as they had left it and there was no way a walker would just walk in. Abby walked to the shed that was tucked in far-left corner of the yard and opened the door. There, much to her delight, was the rather large package that'd been addressed to her leaning against Rick's workbench.

Daryl moved passed her and picked the package up. "Be safe to open inside the house." He said as he turned and carried it back into the house. He laid the package on to the kitchen floor as she closed the door and knelt down beside it.

Pulling out her hunting knife, she opened the box to reveal and equally large plastic carrying case, the kind that you used to store large firearms. She looked up at him in excitement and he smirked at her as he shook his head and turned to go into a different part of the house. She lifted the it out of the box and kicked the box out of the way and set it down again. She unlatched the latches and with a deep breath she lifted the lid.

Abby quietly squealed like a school girl as she gazed at the thing of beauty. It was in pieces for shipping but it was there, along with the silencer she'd predicted, couple of bottle of paint to repaint her rifle to a green camo in stead of its present dessert configuration, and two full boxes of bullets for her sniper rifle and pistol each. Daryl walked back into the kitchen with her military back pack in hand. When he saw what was in the crate, he let out a low whistle.

"That's fancier than the ones from the CDC!" He said, almost sounding as delighted as her.

"That's because those are for amateur, I am a master of my craft." She said proudly.

"That you are." He bent over and kissed the top of her head. "Put it together, we can't take that big container. I'm gonna pack up this food."

She nodded as she pulled her pistol from it holster and then attached the silencer to it and slid it back into its holster. She pulled the parts of her rifle out of the case and placed them on the ground, she quickly cleaned parts and started putting it together. Once done, she grabbed the box of bullets and fed three into the chamber. She picked up the boxes of bullets, the paint and just as she was about to stand up, she saw a photo where one of the boxes of bullets had been.

Abby put everything back down and picked up the photo and smiled at it sadly. Daryl noticed her distraction and knelt down beside her. In the photo was her and four other men in full dessert camouflage, armed to the teeth and dressed in Kevlar.

"Can barely recognize you." Daryl said as he looked over her shoulder.

"Yeah, this was about a year and a half ago. Before things started getting bad for me. We had just rotated to a new base, we were waitin' on a general to brief us on our next mission, when one of the war reports snapped a photo of us as we were talkin'. Don't remember what it was about, jus' some stupid shit but that was a good day." Abby flipped the photo over and on the other side of the four by six was the signatures of all four of the men in her unit.

"Seemed to like you." Daryl commented.

"They did and I liked them. It was like having four big brothers. Sometimes a huge pain in the ass but mostly they were awesome." Abby folded the photo and put it into one of her pockets.

She grabbed a handful of bullets and put them into her pocket then shoved the boxes into the pack that Daryl had sent beside her, as well as the paint. She strapped the smaller rifle to the side of the pack, then slid the pack on to her back and picked up her newly assembled rifle.

"Alright let's go." She said to him.

"I can carry that you know." Daryl said pointing to the pack.

"I know but I'll be wearing it anyways, when we drive home. It's just better this way." She replied as the moved towards the front door.

Daryl looked out the window then looked back at her. "You think its worth checkin' out a couple other places like the hospital or police station?"

"Rick said no pitstops and besides, we only have one pack and a motorcycle. Not a lot of storage space." She said with a shrug.

"Yeah, you're right." He slowly opened the door and poked his head out, then nodded for her to go exit.

They left the way they'd come and met no resistance. Abby half expected to come across the man and boy that Rick had mentioned but either they were still hiding or they had moved on. Hopefully they were okay. They made it back to the chopper without any problem which Abby was shocked about, she'd expected trouble.

Halfway home, they had to pull over as they ran low on gas. Daryl had stopped in the middle of a traffic jam much like the one they'd found when Sophia had run away from some walkers. Abby looked around and shivered.

"I'd rather not linger." She said as they both dismounted.

"Neither but we need gas." Daryl said as he pulled out a bag with a hose from one of the saddle bags. "See if you can find a Jerry can. Otherwise I'll have to siphon directly from one vehicle to my bike."

"I'll take the left side, you'll take the right?" She asked.

Daryl nodded in agreement and they split to different sides of the highway and started looking for gas and a jerry can. When she opened the trunk of a particular car, she found luggage bag in side it. Out of curiosity she opened it and looked inside. Sitting right on top was an unopened package of condoms, Abby chuckled as she opened the package and shoved the contents into one of her pockets. Yup they needed those. As she moved along the line of cars, Abby made a mental note of which cars still had gas in them. After about five minutes of searching, Daryl called over. "Found one!"

After pointing out which cars had fuel Abby said she'd crawl on top of the tall vehicle and keep watch until he had his bike filled up. Once she'd climbed to the top of a semi, Abby looked down the scope of her rifle. First, she looked in the way they'd be heading and saw no threat then turned around and looked the way they'd come. A movement in the distance caught her eye and she zoomed in more.

"Shit." She cursed quietly. Then looked down at Daryl. "Hey we got a about thirty or so walkers comin' our way. They're a mile off but we should still hurry."

Daryl nodded. "Almost done."

A scream nearby from a child caught both Daryl and Abby's attention. Abby quickly hoisted her rifle up to her shoulder and looked through her scope from the direction the scream had come from. In the ditch, a boy was scrambling up an embankment while a walker was pulling on his ankle, just about to bite. Abby quickly pulled the trigger and saw the satisfying explosion of blood erupt from the walker's head. Shortly after a man appeared from the tree line and helped the boy up, glanced around and saw Abby standing on the semi.

The man practically hauled the boy in their direction as three walkers immediately appeared behind him.

"Don't shoot that thing here!" Daryl growled at her. "You're gonna bring every walker within a mile of here, straight to us."

Abby winced. "Sorry! I just reacted. A walker was about to eat a kid, they're coming our way."

"The walkers or the kid?" Daryl asked as he trotted over to his bike and started putting the gas into his bike.

"Both. Three walkers, a kid about Carl's age and a man." She said as she climbed down to the ground.

"Well we ain't waitin' for them." Daryl said as he continued to pour the gas. "We can handle three walkers but what if those people are from the group that, the kid is from?"

"Why would a kid and a man separate from a group of thirty heavily armed men?" She asked him as he threw the jerry can to the side and wrapped the hose up, put it in the plastic bag and then the saddle bag.

"Could be a trap." He pointed out.

Abby looked at him pained. "Daryl…" She started but got interrupted.

"Hey! Help us!" The man yell as he appeared from the other side of the semi.

Abby propped her rifle against Daryl's bike, then pulled out her big knife. With a frustrated sigh Daryl unhooked his crossbow and chased after Abby, who'd run a head to deal with the closest walkers. She drove her blade into the first walker's skull as Daryl shot the second one that was right next to it. Abby pulled her blade out of the first and then plunged it into the last walker's skull. Daryl walked up to her unhappily and pulled out his bolt from the walker he'd shot, before turning back to the new arrivals and studying them carefully.

"Thanks for the help." The boy said timidly.

"Look, there's a whole herd of walker's comin' I suggest you leave." Daryl said terse as he stalked over to his bike.

"Maybe we can help each other!" The man suggested.

"The only one needin' help is you. Abby come on!" Daryl waved at her impatiently, apparently a little mad at her.

"What're your names?" She asked mostly ignoring the look Daryl gave her.

"I'm Morgan, this is my son Duane." Morgan said offering his hand. "And you?"

"Abigail…Grimes." She said deciding to use her maiden name instead of her married one. "Scrooge over there is Daryl Dixon. You two alone, or apart of group."

Morgan didn't answer immediately making Daryl get even more irritated. "Alone." He said slowly. "You wouldn't happen to know a Rick Grimes, would you? Used work for King's county Sheriff's department."

Abby looked over at Daryl in shock and he just looked at them suspiciously. Abby looked back at Morgan. "You the one who helped him?" Abby asked.

"Yeah, he was pretty disoriented! Being in a coma and waking up to this!" Morgan said hopefully. "His wound was startin' to get rancid too!"

"He gave ya' something, what was it?" Daryl asked still suspicious of them.

"You mean the walkie?" Morgan put his bag down and dug through it and produced the walkie identical to the on Rick carried.

"Look, man, still can't help you. We just got this bike and it only carries two." Daryl gave her a meaningful look that said 'get your ass over here'.

"Did Rick find his wife and son in Atlanta?" Duane asked.

"Yeah he did but not in Atlanta. Don't go there, it's a grave yard but…." Abby trailed off.

"Abby, don't! It ain't our place to invite people to a place that ain't ours an' we don't know them! Jus' 'cause they helped your brother out once don't mean you owe 'em anything!" Daryl said vehemently.

She walked in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders and looked at him pleadingly. If he really didn't want her too then she wouldn't but she felt like they should. "Daryl, please. What if they were Carol and Sophia or Rick and Carl? You'd want someone to help them, right? Not everyone is evil out here and not everyone is lookin' to use us."

"Fine!" He said with an exasperated sigh. "But they have to find their own way!"

Abby smiled then turned to the father and son. "We ain't close but we got a reasonably safe place right now. If you can find a car, you can get there in a matter of an hour! It's a farm, we can draw you a map. My nephew is Duane's age and there's Sophia who also is the same age."

"We gotta be quick, that herd's gotta be gettin' closer." Daryl said as he strapped his crossbow back to the back of his bike.

"Here, I got this map." Morgan said as he produced one from his pack. "Just tell me where we are on here and where you are goin', we'll get there."

Abby pulled a pen from one of her many pockets, as Daryl marched over in annoyance and pointed out their location. "I know where we are." She mumbled in irritation, his attitude starting to wear on her. She then drew a line down the highway, down to a lesser highway and then a series of back roads. She made a quick note on to how to find the Greene's farm then handed it back to Morgan.

"Thank you!" He said sincerely.

"Now go! Run! Daryl's right those walker's will be here soon. Take that dirt road a head! They'll likely be attracted to the sound of our chopper and follow us, just make sure you're out of sight when they come." She said to them as Daryl sat down on his bike and Abby sat behind him, propping her rifle on her hip.

Daryl waited long enough for them to disappear into the bush, before starting his bike and peeling out of there. Abby couldn't help but feel bad as they drove off and left those people behind. She did, in fact, feel like she owed them. They brought her brother back to her and if he hadn't come back when he did, she didn't know what she'd have done when Martin died. He had been immensely comforting to her, even when he wasn't right beside her. Just knowing he was within reach if she need him, was enough.

On the other hand, meeting Morgan and his son had created her first disagreement with Daryl. She was pretty sure that he was still mad at her. As she looked at his reflection in his side mirror, she could still see the irritation on his face as he continued to stew.

As they pulled back on to the Greene property, Daryl gunned straight for his tent and came to a stop just out side of it. Abby got off and dropped the pack beside his tent. As he worked angrily at unstrapping his crossbow.

"I'm sorry." Abby said to him.

He paused then looked back at her. "Why'd you shoot? You coulda killed us! It ain't like you to do somethin' so stupid! Then those people! You shoulda just got on the bike!" He said to her angrily, nearly shouting.

"I'm sorry, you're right that was stupid…I just." Abby sighed "I don't know, maybe a bit of a maternal instinct thing…he was kid!"

"And so is Randall but you don't seem to mind us killin' him!" Daryl said sounding resentful.

"Now you know that's different! And he ain't no kid!" She growled at him. "First you tell me I'm bein' too compassionate, now yer sayin' I'm a cold-hearted bitch!? Make up your mind!" She shouted at him finally. "You're just like the rest of them!" She picked up her rifle and stomped off.

"Wait! Abby!" He called after pausing for a moment but she didn't stop. So, Daryl ran to catch up with her, it was probably a good thing that Daryl's little campsite was so far away from everyone else. Daryl grabbed her arm but she wrenched her arm out of his hand and continued walking, but Daryl was going to be persistent. He grabbed on to her again and quickly turned her before she could pull out of his reach again. She turned to looked at him furiously and he was a little shocked by the tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Look, I ain't sayin' that!" He said firmly. "Don't put words into my mouth. I just…" Daryl stopped uncertain now what to say now that he'd stopped her. He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration as he tried to formulate what he wanted to say. "You just…you scared me." He said with a sigh of defeat, he was about to make himself sound like a fool. "I ain't used to havin' to look out for anyone besides myself…."

"You don't…" Abby started to interrupt.

"Let me finish!" He said cutting off her protest. "I don't generally give a shit about anyone, I don't let myself. People tend to disappoint me, so I don't give 'em a chance. But you…you got under my skin with out me lettin' you, its like all those years I've spent puttin' up walls to protect myself from others didn't exist, like they were made from air. And now, I'm scared of losin' you. When you shot yer rifle, I thought we'd get swarmed…I didn't really care 'bout myself but you…" Daryl had started to shift from foot to foot like he always did when he was uncomfortable and uncertain.

"Then those people showed up and with that thing with the Randall kid, some of the stuff he said…I just didn't want it to happen to you. I'm not good at this thing, relationships and when I don't know what to do, I get mad. I wasn't blamin' or criticizing you, you don't need another person blamin' you for things."

Abby sighed and relaxed as she looked down at her boots. "You ain't the only one who needs to work on their temper, I thought I had it under control but not since everythin' went to hell."

Daryl stepped closer, reached up to touch her face but dropped it suddenly and tensed up. Abby looked up again and saw him looking behind her, so she turned and saw Dale marching determinedly towards him. Abby sighed, tired of confrontations, that's all it seemed her life was about anymore.

"Can I talk to you two? Rick wants to have a meetin' in a couple of hours but I want to talk you two first." Dale said as he got with in ear shot.

Abby looked at him tiredly. "What is it?" She asked even though she was pretty sure she knew.

"Its about Randall." He said simply and Daryl just scoffed and marched back to his campsite and started poking around in the firepit, preparing to rebuild the flame.

"You don't care what happens to Randall?" Dale asked Daryl in exasperation.

"Nope." Daryl answered as he strategically placed sticks and started blowing on what remained of the hot embers.

"And you Abby?" Dale asked her.

"I'll do whatever Rick thinks is right." Abby stated and that was the truth. The only people who had a chance of dictating her thoughts was Rick and apparently now Daryl.

"Have you ever considered that your brother might be wrong? He's just a kid!" Dale said passionately.

It was Abby's turn to scoff. "Just a kid. Yeah well it was _just a kid_ who blew up the one and only close female friends I've ever had, back in Iraq. He was fifteen, she was handin' out suckers to the kids and he just walked up with a bomb strapped to his chest, dead man trigger in his hand and just set it off! The kids that were with her, were any where's from three years old to twelve but all that matter was killing one frickin' soldier! My unit, it was assigned to watch the area and I saw the kid runnin' towards her but figured he just wanted a sucker because he was _just a kid_."

"Abby this isn't the middle east! Kid's don't do that here!" Dale said in dismay.

"You think that because they grew in the great ole US of A that people here aren't capable of such things? Have you looked around? We're living in a war zone! Might look different, but we are! People do stupid things just for food, let alone weapons or even stability. That _kid_ , is capable of doin' just as much damage as that boy in Iraq." Daryl stood up and looked at her suddenly concerned as she angrily dashed a tear away.

"Abby, I'm sorry I didn't mean to drudge up bad memories." Dale said softly.

"Don't worry about it, that's besides the point Dale." Abby answered confidently. "I can deal with bad memories, what I can't deal with is my nephew or my brother gettin' murder because we were too soft to get rid of one threat."

Dale realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with Abby, so he turned back to Daryl. "You care what happens to the group, you can't honestly be on board with this!"

"This group is broken, it don't matter." Daryl said his face had gone back to being hostile when Dale turned back to him.

"A kid…a person's life doesn't matter?" Dale asked in exasperation. "You're a good person, Daryl and you seem to have Rick's ear and Abby here as well. You can get them to understand."

Daryl scoffed. "You ever try to make her do somethin' she don't want to? It don't matter anyways, I tend to agree with both of 'em. Go blow your hot air somewhere else." Daryl squatted down and started playing with the fire again.

Dale shook his head and walked away. Once Dale was out of sight, Daryl stood up, walked over to her and put a hand on her arm. "You okay?" He asked her.

She forced a smile. "I'm fine." She gave him a quick peck on the lips then turned away. "I'll let Rick know we're back."

This time Daryl let her go. Abby walked to the camp and only Andrea and Amy were present. They both went wide eyed when they saw her rifle.

"Where'd you get that?" Amy asked.

"King county, where's my brother?"

"Is that _your_ rifle? Like the one you used in the military." Amy looked it up and down in awe.

Abby couldn't help but smirk a little and patted the weapon. "Yup, this is my baby."

"Its just a gun." Andrea said trying to not look impressed.

"No that's just a gun." Abby said indicating the pistol on Andrea's hip. " _This_ is a majestic piece of art, only a fellow artist would understand that."

Amy chuckled then pointed to the barn. "He's in the barn, Lori might be with him."

Abby nodded and smiled slightly. "Thanks." She turned to go but Amy called to her.

"Hey! Do you agree with what Rick and Shane want? Killing that guy?" She asked.

"Yeah I do. He could get us all killed and I'm not going to risk my nephew's life or anyone else's for some stranger's." Abby nodded her head then turned and continued to the barn. She opened the doors, walked in and looked around. "Rick?" She called.

"Up here Abigail. I see you were successful." When Abby looked up she saw Rick squatted down with a long rope in his hands, looking down at her.

Abby gave him a huge grin. "Yup and two boxes of bullets for both my rifle and pistol." She pulled out her pistol and held it up towards him. "Had that silencer I had predicted would be in there."

"That'll be handy, not having to worry 'bout sound." Rick said nodding his head in approval. "Dale talk to you?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "Yup."

"What did you say?" Rick asked.

"That I support you and think it's a good idea to kill the threat." Abby replied.

"And do you?"

Abby frowned. "Of course, and I'll deal with it when the time comes. If you wanna put a bullet in his head, I'll do it. You wanna hang him, I'll kick the blocks. You don't need blood on your hands, Rick. I already do, so a little more won't make much difference."

"It makes a difference to me! I'll deal with the situation I made!" Rick said making it clear he didn't want to hear another word on the matter.

Abby stood there a moment trying to decide if she wanted to press the issue anyways but decided to let the issue drop. Instead she moved on. "Ran into a friend of yours."

Rick looked at her confused. "Who?"

"Morgan and Duane."

Rick stood up, walked over to the ladder on the inside of the barn and climbed down, then walked over to her. "What? Are they okay?"

"They were when we left them. Gave 'em directions to here. Told 'em Atlanta was no good. Woulda takin' them with us but…well we were on a motorcycle." Abby grimaced. "Sorry."

"No! That's good news! I can't believe they're alive!" He said relieved. "Maybe we can find them in the morning."

Three hours later, they all gathered in the living room of Hershel's house. After chasing Carl and Sophia upstairs to be babysat by Jimmy, they started discussing Randall.

Abby intentionally stood beside her brother as the discussion started while the Greene's and Patricia sat together on the couches and nearly everyone else stood up in the remaining living room space. Abby focused in on the conversation for the moment as Rick was asking everyone's opinion.

"I mean why bother to even take a vote?" Dale groused. "It's clear which way the winds blowing."

"Well, if people believe I should spare him I wanna know." Rick said sincerely.

"Well, I can tell you it's a small group…maybe just me and Glenn." Dale said in disbelief.

Glenn instantly looked guilty, when Dale looked at him he knew. "Look, I…I think you're right on pretty much everything, all the time, but this…" Glenn started

"They got you scared! Did Abby talk to you!?" Dale asked in disbelief

Abby rolled her eyes, she tried to be understanding; he was just throwing her under the bus because he was desperate.

"N-no, I haven't talked to her all day! He's not one of us. And we've…we've lost too many." Glenn said guiltily.

Dale looked around the room in desperation then pointed to the Greene's and started in on guilting Hershel. Abby looked around the room, she could see in their faces that Dale was right, they just wanted Randall dead and gone. The conversation moved to entertaining the idea of what'd they'd do if they let Randall live, although she got the feeling it was mostly to make Dale happy. Abby was going to point out the flaw in their plan but Shane beat her too the punch.

"Look, say we let him join us, right?" He started. "Maybe he's helpful, maybe he's nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off, brings back his thirty men."

"So the answer is kill him?!" Dale said in exasperation. "To prevent him from committing a crime he may never commit? If we do this we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization."

"Shane's right, it's a strong possibility." Everyone looked at her like she'd spoken a foreign language. "Like I said, look around. Maybe humanity will make a come back but we have live until then."

"If we go through with it, how would you do it? Would he suffer?" Patricia asked.

"We could hang him, right? Snap his neck." Shane supplied.

"I thought about that." Rick said nodding. "Shooting maybe more humane."

Dale threw a fit after they started discussing what to do with the body but in the end the group had decided, Randall was going to die. Andrea and Amy both did speak up against killing him, although Abby was pretty sure Amy only spoke up to support her sister and Andrea didn't want to leave Dale hanging. She had to give it too him, Dale pulled out all the stops, guilting everyone calling on their humanity but in the end, it didn't work. In some sense he was right, where do they draw the line? But it was unavoidable, like he said survival of the fittest.

As the day faded Abby started to follow Rick, Shane and Daryl to the shed but Rick stopped her. "No Abigail, you ain't gonna be apart of this."

"Why not?" She said immediately annoyed.

Rick looked her in the eye. "You've seen too much, I don't need you adding to yer nightmare's."

"I can handle it, Rick!" She said firmly.

Rick smiled at her softly. "I know you can, baby girl. Just let me do this, let me protect you from something for once."

Abby sighed and nodded her head in agreement. He hadn't called her baby girl since she was twelve now he'd called her it twice in two days. He was really worried about her. He kissed her cheek then turned and walked off with Shane and Daryl. Instead of walking back to the campsite, where everyone was probably going to pretending to be asleep, Abby walked off to Daryl's campsite. She'd be going there eventually anyways.

Just after she'd sat down by the fire and had just brought back to life, Abby heard a scream off in the distant and it wasn't the higher pitched sound of a younger person but a man. Abby got to her feet and took off running, as she ran the screaming intensified from terror to agony.

Daryl was the first on the scene and Abby watched as he tackled the walker to the ground, then quickly plunged his blade into its skull. When she skidded to a stop she put a hand to her moth in horror. The walker had torn into Dale's abdominal cavity, the hole so big, his intestines were coming out. Abby had seen enough trauma injuries that she knew, he wasn't going to make it even if they had an operating hospital nearby.

As people arrived they started sobbing while Rick called for Hershel. When he arrived, he took one look at him and he too instantly knew. When Hershel expressed this everyone broke down. Daryl quietly walked over to her and took her hand, she didn't know if it was too comfort her or for her to comfort him, for he had tears in the corner of his eyes though he tried to hide them.

"He's suffering." Andrea sobbed. "Do something!"

Rick shift uncomfortably as he pulled his pistol. "I can do it." Abby said softly as she reached for her own but Rick held out his hand to stop her. Then he aimed his pistol and she could see him falter, Abby was about to pull her pistol but Daryl put a firm hand on her shoulder then turned and took the pistol from Rick's hand.

Daryl knelt down beside Dale and pulled back the hammer. "Sorry, brother." Daryl said softly, then pulled the trigger.

Andrea, Amy and Lori were sobbing uncontrollably while Carol cried silently clutching Sophia to her, the men in the group cried unashamedly but stayed silent. Abby pulled the pistol from Daryl's hand as he continued to stare down at Dale in shock at what he'd just done. She pulled Daryl to his feet and pushed against Rick's chest to get them moving.

"T-Dog." She said softly. "Get the truck." He nodded then turned and walked off. "Y'all go back to camp. T-Dog and I will bring him back."

"You ain't waitin' here on yer own." Daryl managed to say evenly.

"Fine you can stay but the rest of you go!" She said firmly but gently.

Everyone obeyed, too numb and shocked to argue with her. After they disappeared into the night, Abby wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist.

"You didn't have to do that." She said as she looked up at him.

He turned his face to the side trying to hide tears that threatened to fall. "Yes, I did. Rick couldn't and neither of us could forgive ourselves if you did. Just cus' you've killed before don't make you the default person to fall back on to."

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Hope you liked it! Read & Review!

-Shockra


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter, hope you've all had a good week.

* * *

Early the next morning, they all gathered around the newly dug grave as they paid their respects. As tragic as it was, the sudden and violent passing of one of their own, had brought them all together. Rick made a heart wrenching but inspiring speech that only solidified their new-found unity.

After Abby, Daryl and T-Dog had gathered Dale up and put him into the back of the truck bed, they took a break while Shane and Rick dug the new grave. Abby tried to console Daryl but he wanted nothing more than to be left a lone for a while. So, instead, she spent her time with Lori and a very upset Carl. Carl clung to his mother until Lori decided it was time to make breakfast and passed him off to Abby.

Abby was very worried about the boy as he clung to her neck, he'd stopped crying but something seemed wrong with him beyond Dale's death. Once breakfast was made, everyone including Daryl joined around the communal fire to eat breakfast together in silence. Even the Greene's had come out from their house, plates in hand and sat with them. For the first time since they'd met, it seemed like they were all a group.

After the service, Shane, Daryl, T-Dog and Andrea grabbed melee style weapons and headed out to check the fence to take out any walkers that were within sight. Abby had intended on going with them but Lori begged her to stay, so she did. When they came back, Andrea pulled her to the side while Hershel and Rick came from the house.

"I just want to apologize to you." Andrea said when they were out of earshot of the others. "I've very unkind to you, judging you. I have no right. I've never lost a husband and I've never been through what you have."

"Too be fair, I did punch you in the face." Abby said with a slight smirk.

Andrea chuckled. "Well I did shoot Daryl, so I did slightly deserve it. I just wanted to prove to everyone that I'm just as tough as you are. Both Shane and Rick think so highly of you! Hell, all the guys do!" Andrea laughed again. "I think T-Dog and Glenn are a little scared of you."

"Well I'm a little short tempered, the one thing Rick and I couldn't be more different in." Abby said still smirking.

"That's the other thing, you're protecting your family. I'd do anything to protect Amy but I haven't had to really. If anything, you've protected my sister more than I have. Family is the most reliable thing we have, out of anyone, they are the ones we _know_ will never betray us." She put out her hand. "Truce?"

"Truce." Abby said easily, then shook her hand.

"I have to admit, I thought you'd be a little…disgruntled." She said with a wince.

"I'm usually easy to get a long with, forgive easily but I guess my personality rubs people the wrong way." Abby shrugged. "Story of my life."

Rick suddenly called out for everyone to gather, so the two women smiled at each other and gather with the others. "Alright, y'all. Hershel has graciously invited us to all move into the house. So, pack up your things and we'll pack it into the back of the truck, then come talk to me and I'll hand out specific assignments."

Everyone nodded and went to their tents and started packing up. Abby hadn't really done any amount of packing. She had a few clothes strewn on the floor but otherwise she shoved everything back into her bag. So, it didn't take long before she was punting her bag, sleeping bag and cot out of the door and moved on to disassembling her tent. When done, she carried her stuff to the truck and threw it in the back.

Rick waved her over to join him, Daryl, Hershel, Andrea and Shane in their conversation.

"We'll build a look out in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sight lines, both sides of the property." Rick was saying then looked over at her. "Abby, you know that sort of thing best, take a look around find us the best vantage points." Rick walked over to T-Dog. "T-Dog, you take the perimeter around the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going."

"What about standing guard?" T-Dog asked.

"I need you, Abby and Daryl on double duty." Rick answered.

"Gotcha." T-Dog answered, while Daryl turned and left. Abby looked back at him and trotted after Daryl.

Abby caught up with as he walked towards his bike. "You wanna talk about last night?" She asked him.

He gave her an annoyed sideways glance. "You know how you didn't wanna talk to people after Martin's death? Well I don't wanna talk about this, if I do I'll come to you." He snapped at her angrily as he stopped to bent over and was about to throw her other backpack they'd found at Ricks house, at her but stopped as he realized what he was about to do.

Abby tried to not take insult to his words or actions but it was hard. After a pause, he handed her the bag. "Sorry." He mumbled. Then sat on his bike and paused once more. "Don't worry 'bout me, I'm fine."

"That's like asking me to stop breathing. I'm always gonna worry about you, that's apart of caring for someone." She said softly.

Daryl looked like he was about to say something then looked away, then started the bike and sped off towards the house. Once again it was hard to not take insult to Daryl's actions but she realized that he had little to no experience with expressing himself and the odd time he had, people had judged him so now he had an ingrained fear of rejection and ridicule.

Abby walked over to the windmill and climbed to the top to survey the scenery with a pair of binoculars. It provided a decent view of the one side of the property but the buildings on the property almost complete blocked the other. So, Abby climbed down and walked to the barn and climbed up into the loft. Once again, it was a decent view but they hardly had a view of the whole property but considering half of it was forest, that wasn't surprising.

When she returned back to the house, they were still unpacking so Abby took a bag from the back of the truck and started assisting. After ten minutes Abby walked down the steps to grab the last bag but Rick pulled her to the side.

"So, what do you think?" He asked.

"The vantage points are good but the back side of the house is blind. Its also close to the woods, so even with a scope or binoculars, we won't have much of an advance warning. Maybe we could set up a few traps out there, give us some advance warning." She speculated.

"That's a good idea but it'll have to wait until we have our immediate surroundings secured. Daryl and I will be takin' Randall out in a few hours, gonna drive extra far this time." Rick said then frowned when she made a face. "You don't agree?"

Abby sighed. "I'm going to support you no matter what, Rick but…I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"It might bite us in the ass, I know but after Carl…" Rick sighed and rubbed his face. "I don't want my boy growin' up in a world where killin' someone is okay. If we start killin' this kid now, where do we draw the line? Where will we say 'that's enough' or 'that's wrong'?"

Abby put her hands on his arms. "I told you, I support you. You don't need to justify your decision with me, I get it. You have more than yourself to think about. Do what you need to do."

Rick put a hand on her cheek. "Thank you." He said sincerely. He started to move away then looked back. "One more thing. I asked Andrea to keep an eye on Shane, make sure he stays in line and doesn't cause problems for Hershel but if he does, if he really starts gettin' out of line then I expect you to manage the situation."

"But not shoot him." She said with a smirk, invoking a half-hearted glare from Rick.

As she watched Rick walk off, she noticed Carl watching her from behind one of the tall Oaks where they had been camping. When he saw her look at him, he waved her over. When Abby walked up to him, he looked down and kicked the dirty with a look that told Abby he'd done something.

"Can I tell you something, without you tellin' my parents?" Carl asked.

Abby crossed her arms and watched her nephew suspiciously. "Depends on what it is." She replied.

Carl thought about it then turned to leave. "Never mind." He said as he walked away.

"Carl! Wait." Abby called. "Whatever it is kiddo, you need to tell us. You probably won't get in as much trouble as you think, maybe not at all."

Carl stopped and looked at her, then walked back and pulled up the back of his jacket, pulled out a pistol and handed it to her. "Found this in one of the bags on Daryl's motorcycle. He'd kill me if he found out I took."

Abby grimaced as she looked at it, it was loaded with one in the chamber, ready to fire. "He'd definitely be unhappy 'bout you goin' through his stuff and 'bout a kid packin' heat but he wouldn't kill you. What're you doing with this? You know your mom doesn't want you carryin'!"

"It's my fault…" He said sadly. "Dale. Its my fault he died."

"Oh honey, that ain't your fault! Why'd you say that?!" Abby crouched down and looked him in the eye.

"I saw that walker." He said as he looked her in the eye. "I was gonna shoot it…. It was stuck in the mud. I was—I was throwin' rocks at it and stuff." He continued, as he looked down at his boots and started kicking rocks. "But I was gonna do it, shoot it right in the head. And it—it got free…and came after me, so I ran away. If I had killed it, Dale would still be a live."

"No, Carl!" Abby said firmly. "Don't do those 'what if' scenarios, that sort of thing can drive a person crazy. You coulda killed that walker and another one might've replaced it. Dale's death ain't your fault! He shouldn't have been out there on his own to begin with! None of us should be, especially at night."

After a long pause, he looked up at her again. "Can you give it back to Daryl?"

"Sure, how'd you get it anyways? We were gone almost all day yesterday!"

"When everyone was gathered to talk about that Randall guy. Jimmy was readin' some stupid magazine and Sophia was playing with some dolls Beth had brought out. So, I snuck out." He said with a shrug.

Abby finally stood up. "You know you can come to me with any thing, right?" Carl nodded. "Especially the stuff you don't wanna talk to you parents about…like girls and stuff." Abby grinned at him and Carl scoffed but smirked also.

"Girls are weird and gross." Carl said like a typical preteen.

"Oh, trust me kiddo, you'll be changin' your tune real soon, and you know where to find me. Now scram, stay close to the house!" She called as he trotted off.

Abby shook her head, Rick wasn't going to like this. She looked around to see if she could see Daryl, so she could give him his gun back but hesitated. He'd been irritated with her a lot over the last day, maybe she should give him his space…maybe she should show it to Rick first? Abby groaned at her own lack of ability to make a decision.

She had never had a problem telling Martin what was on her mind, even when he was mad with her; which was often. She could tell Rick too, but she knew no matter how angry he was at her, Rick would always love her but Daryl? She was scared of scaring him off. Even when it became evident that Martin was working his way up to divorcing her, she hadn't really been bothered; which told her she wasn't in love with him.

Suddenly it hit her, she was _in love_ with Daryl. She didn't just like him, find him to be a pleasant and satisfying screw but she also found him interesting as a person and it mattered to her what he thought. She was almost as willing to do what he asked of her and support his decision as she did for her brother. Although, to fair, she rarely did what her brother asked. In that, Daryl one upped Rick.

She nearly jumped when Daryl's voice called "hey" from behind her. She turned and looked at him. He looked awkward but a little amused, probably because he'd just startled her.

"Hey." She lamely replied.

"Can we talk somewhere, where we won't have an audience?" He asked nodding towards the house. "I need to say this before Rick and I leave."

"Sure." She said and followed him to the barn.

Once in side, he closed the door and started pacing the floor, clearly nervous. She waited for several long minutes for him to say whatever it was that was on his mind but he didn't seem to know where to start. So, she finally held out the pistol and offered it to him.

"Here this is yours, I hear." She said and he stopped, frowned and walked over to her.

"Who had it?" He asked annoyed now.

"Carl." She said with a sigh.

"What? How'd he get it? Why'd he take it?" Daryl asked trying to keep calm.

"Got this crazy idea in his head that he wanted to kill this walker he found, stuck in the mud. Why he went through your stuff, I don't know. Asked me to give it back to you 'cause he thought you'd kill him." She replied.

Daryl scoffed. "I'd certainly give him a piece of my mind."

"Don't light into him, I'm gonna tell Rick and they'll deal with it but he already feels bad. The walker that killed Dale was the one he'd found in the woods, so now he feels its his fault that Dale died." Abby shook her head.

"Why'd you never have kids of yer own? You're certainly good with yer nephew." He finally looked her in the face as he stuffed pistol into his belt.

Abby shrugged. "I wanted 'em and probably wouldn't have gone on so many tours if Martin did too but he didn't, or at least not with me."

"You still do?" He asked starting to look awkward again.

"I'd like to say 'some day' but my 'some day' is quickly runnin' out." She said trying to sound lighthearted instead of the deep sadness she felt at the thought of dying childless.

"Maybe you…will…one day." Daryl said now looking immensely uncomfortable.

"What is it you wanted to say to me, Daryl?" She asked him softly.

He started paced again. "Yesterday. I didn't finish how I wanted to…or say all I wanted to say. And then this mornin' I was such an asshole to you, you didn't deserve that…or yesterday either. I just get so frustrated with myself…and I take it out on other people…I need to work on that, especially with you."

"It's okay, Daryl. Try to relax don't think about it too much, I won't judge you." She said trying to soothe him.

"I ain't never done somethin' half assed. I'm either in or I'm out and I know we've only doing...this, for a couple weeks and I know you said you weren't really ready for a relationship but…I don't just wanna be your 'more than a friend but not yer boyfriend' thing, I want all in…I want you!" He marched straight to her and put her hands on her arms gently. "I-I love you."

Abby smiled brightly at him and pulled his head down to hers and rested her forehead against his. "I love you too, you big jerk." She gushed.

He smiled then kissed her passionately, which quickly turned into grinding and groping, despite a pistol digging into both of their stomachs. Abby abruptly pushed him away. "Not right now." She panted. "When you get back." She continued as she pulled out the large roll of condoms that'd she'd found and showed them to him. He smiled at her wickedly then turned and marched out of the barn.

Abby sat on the porch with her rifle partially disassembled sitting on a sheet on the floor and three bottles of paint opened beside her. Rick and Daryl had slowly walked onto the porch as she sat there, discussing their plans, oblivious of her sitting on the ground just a few feet away. They went several minutes without noticing her as she worked but suddenly they both stopped and looked at what she was doing, shocked by her sudden presence. They looked at each other, then back at her.

"What are you doing, Abigail?" Rick asked in confusion.

"What does it look like? The old camo is for desert, we live in a rather green country…mostly, so I'm changing the configuration." Abby didn't bother looking up at them.

"With yer fingers?" Daryl asked, obviously amused.

"Well Hershel doesn't have a paint brush small enough, so yes, my fingers." She replied as she continued.

"You know that stuff doesn't come of easily?" Rick asked.

"I know, that's what the paint thinner is for." She said indicating to the bottle on her other side with a clear liquid.

"Your fingers are likely to still be colorful." Rick said with a slight chuckle.

"Hey Daryl, can I talk with Rick for a minute?" Abby asked him.

"Gotta take a piss anyways." He said as turned and walked off.

"What is it, sis." Rick said as he leaned against the rail.

"'bout Carl." She started.

Rick sighed. "What'd he do now?"

"Which you wanna hear first. The part where he wandered off into the woods by himself and ran into a walker or the part where he stole a pistol from Daryl and tried to use it on said walker? Or the part where that same walker killed Dale and now he feels responsible?" Abby finally looked up from what she was doing.

Rick sputtered for a moment. "He did what?"

"Yeah, I know, I was shocked too. He came to me, told me what he did, gave me the gun back but he didn't want me to tell you or Lori." Abby said as she stuck her hands into the paint thinner. "I ain't gonna tell you how to raise yer son, Rick but he needs his daddy right now. He's lost and confused, and he won't listen to Lori or me, he needs _you_!"

"I'll talk to him when I get back, I need to get this Randall thing done with." Rick said as he rubbed his face.

Shane suddenly appeared from around the corner. "Your baby sister tells you, your son needs you and that's all you can say? Tomorrow?" He asked in disgust.

Rick turned and glared at him. "Its my call." He said coolly but anger was evident in his voice.

"How about I ride out with Daryl?" Shane suggested. "Be good for us to spend a little time together."

Abby tensed, that was the last thing she wanted. It was as bad as Shane going out with Rick. She was pretty sure he suspected what was going on between them, he'd been eyeing them suspiciously for the last three days. But thankfully Rick didn't like that idea either.

"Nah, I need you here." He said but the distrust was obvious in his voice but for a different reason. He thought that Shane would kill Randall and he very might. Abby was afraid he might kill them both then claim the kid killed either Rick or Daryl then he killed the kid.

"Don't think I'll handle it right, huh?" He asked.

"Didn't say that." Rick replied coolly.

"Freeing that prisoner." Shane chuckled mirthlessly. "Is more important than Carl."

As Shane walked off, Abby stood up as she wiped the paint and paint thinner from her hands with an oil cloth. "Ignore that asshole Rick, you're a good father!" But he turned and marched off angrily.

Abby pulled her stuff to the side where her rifle could dry and not get kicked when they started boarding up the windows, then trotted off in the direction Shane had gone. When she found him, he was collecting more wood for them to use. When he saw her coming he shook his head and hollered at her.

"I ain't in the mood!"

"Well get in the mood!" She called back. When she got closer she stopped and crossed her arms over her chest. "You have no right to judge Rick for the decisions he makes. I know you _think_ you know what its like to be a father, just 'cause you looked after Carl and Lori for a few weeks but you don't. You know nothin'! Rick loves that boy like you _never_ could! The only thing you want, is to screw his mother!"

"Lori and I have nothing to do with Carl." Shane growled.

"'Lori and I'? Don't you get it? There is no 'Lori and I'! It was just you takin' advantage a scared and lonely widow and her son!" She said furiously.

"Oh, you mean like Daryl's doin' with you!? I know you two are goin' at it like two animals in heat. Saw you sneak off to his tent a couple times and I'm pretty you never came back the other night because you were screwin' in the barn. Saw him go off to there just before dark. Tell me, does Rick know you're screwin' his new best friend?"

"That ain't none of your concern!" She said her voice becoming very dangerous.

"You know, I think I should go tell him! Maybe he'll actually stay back and deal with his family instead of some stupid prisoner." Shane said as he turned and started off.

"You tell him about Daryl and I, and I tell him you tried to rape his wife!" She rebuked and Shane stopped dead. "That's right, don't think I forgot. Or how about you were pointin' a gun at his head? I ain't forgot that either. Just keep your damned opinions to yer self." Abby shoved passed him and walked back to the house.

An hour later, Abby sat on the porch once more putting her rifle back together when Daryl back the truck up to the house. T-Dog came from the house and started putting supplies in the back next to Daryl's crossbow, then handed Daryl a pistol as he got out.

"What happened to yours?" Abby asked and they both looked up at her.

"Rick got it back, said he wanted to give it to Carl." Daryl said with shrug.

Rick came with some more supplies. "It's a more reliable type of gun, requires less maintenance. It's a bit big but it won't jam up on him." He said as he put the supplies in the back.

"I'll go get the package." T-Dog offered.

Rick nodded. "Thanks."

"I thought you didn't want him carryin'?" Abby asked as T-Dog walked off.

" _Lori_ didn't but after last night, I think it'd be wise if he did. He's old enough, he understands." Rick watched her, waiting for her to challenge his decision.

"Guess you an I were huntin' with rifles when we were younger." Abby said with a shrug. "He's your son, you know best."

"Hey! Hey!" T-Dog yelled as he came running back. "The kids gone! He ain't there!"

Rick, Abby and Daryl all took off running to the shed. Daryl slammed to door open and Rick went in side and just as T-Dog had said, the kid was gone. The group must have heard T-Dog shouting because they all swarmed in on it. Rick did his policeman work and started investigating while everyone started speculating.

Suddenly Shane appeared from the woods shouting. "Rick! Rick!"

"What happened?" Lori shouted as Shane came towards them.

"He armed!" Shane replied, his face all bloody. "He's got my gun!"

"You okay?" Carl asked worriedly.

"I'm fine! Little bastard snuck up on me! He clocked me in the face!" He shouted angrily.

Rick turned around. "Alright, Hershel, T-Dog, get everyone back in the house. Abigail, you and that rifle get up in a watch tower. If you find him, shoot him."

"Roger that." Abby said as she hoisted her rifle onto her shoulder.

"Glenn, Daryl, come with us. Everyone else, in side. Lock all the doors, stay put!" Rick ordered as they walked off.

Abby ran back to the house, grabbed her military backpack which still had all her bullets still inside, shoved a pair of binoculars into it then ran back outside and headed for the windmill. As she climbed up she sigh as she looked at the platform, it wasn't big but she'd have to make it work. She stuffed herself to one side then laid on her belly and popped out the stand for her rifle and started scanning the woods.

So, Abby laid their, for hours, scanning the woods and continued even after the sun had set. Blessedly though, there was a full moon out that night, so she could still see across the fields. So, she saw the moment Shane and Rick broke from the trees and started in the direction of the house. They were a good mile off, and she doubted that Shane realized that she was still watching. He'd only ever used a hunting rifle, he had no idea how clearly, she could see what he was doing in that moment.

She watched as he pulled a gun on her brother and it was all she could do in that moment to not put a bullet in his head immediately but Rick was slightly in her line of sight, enough that she couldn't bring herself to risk it. She saw Rick start talking to Shane and Shane making his angry replies. Rick slowly circled to one side, putting him out of her line of sight. At one-point Shane put his pistol back into his belt then proceed to try and ag Rick into shooting him but he failed he pulled his pistol once more.

They continued to yell and Shane's head was bobbing around too much as he screamed at Rick so she aimed for his heart and after letting out a slow breath to settle her self, she pulled the trigger. She watched as the power of the impact knocked Shane off of his feet then saw Rick looked back in her direction then back at Shane and approached him carefully but she knew she'd hit her intended mark. He wasn't getting back up again. Then Rick collapsed beside Shane as grief over took him. Abby sighed as she looked away from the scene, she hoped Rick wouldn't hate her for what she did but she had too.

Abby was just about to climb down when another shot went off, she snapped back around and looked down her scope to see Carl and Rick carefully walking towards Shane's corpse. After a moment, they got up and started back to the house. Abby frowned, what was that boy doing out there? How had she not seen him? Then she saw the walkers, she was tempted to start shooting but she knew if she did, they'd come all the more quickly.

Cursing to herself she quickly climbed down the tower and ran as hard as she could towards the house. Off to the other side the walkers were much closer, already starting to pass the barn. By the time she reached the porch, several people were standing on it, watching the approaching herd. Daryl looked immensely relieved to see her, as she was to see him, and waved at her to hurry.

As she reached the porch Daryl hauled her up and Lori suddenly appeared in the door. "Carl's gone." She said worriedly.

"He's with Rick." Abby said grimly as she tried to slow her breathing and pointed towards the herd.

"What?" She said in horror.

"They weren't far off from the barn, Rick'll get them there. He'll keep him safe, okay?" Abby replied confidently, even though she was just as worried for both of them."

T-Dog fetched the bag of guns for in side the house and set it on the porch. Daryl handed her a shotgun and pulled the rifle from her hands and propped it up against the rail. "That ain't no good right now." He said to her.

She took the shotgun and listened to their plan, and it was stupid but she couldn't leave without Rick and Carl, so she'd fight like hell until they arrived. Abby turned to Hershel.

"It's all well and good for the rest of us to fight here but just in case we fail, you need to get Beth and Patricia and they are gonna go with Amy, Lori, Carol and Sophia and they are gonna get off of this farm!" She said firmly.

"I agree." He said then turned to Patricia. "You heard the lady."

"I'll get Beth but I'm staying until you leave." Patricia said stubbornly.

"I ain't leavin' without my boy!" Lori shouted.

Abby grabbed her by the shoulders. "You need to trust that Rick will take care of him, okay? You need to leave, now, while you still can. You have a baby to think about!" Lori nodded sadly, picked up Abby's rifle and turned to followed after the other four ladies.

"Abby come on! Ride with me!" Daryl hollered as he pulled up with his bike.

Abby lunged over the rail like Daryl had only a few minutes earlier and ran up to him and climbed behind him. Once on, Daryl took off for the fence and pulled to a stop when he reached the fence then started firing into the crowd of walkers. Abby scooted back a little so she could turn her torso better and also started firing.

"Hey look!" Daryl called back to her she turned to look where he was pointing at and saw what he was looking at, the barn was on fire. "Hang on!" He said as started rolling forward. He sped up as she wrapped an arm around his waist and drove up to where Jimmy drove the RV.

"Yo!" He called to Jimmy. "Must've been Rick or Shane who started that fire. Maybe they're trying to get out back! Why don't you circle 'round!"

"Got it!" Jimmy called and took off with the RV.

Abby stuffed the shotgun in between them and pulled out her pistol and started firing into the crowd as Daryl drove off and stopped little way down the driveway. They couldn't see much passed the smoke, but it was obvious, the farm was lost.

"I shot him." Abby said softly as she wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist. "He was going to kill Rick, so I shot him."

Daryl didn't reply but put his hand over hers, then started the motorcycle back up and turned and drove off. The morning fog settled on to the road as Daryl rumbled down the road and when they broke through a patch, Daryl had to quickly veer to one side to dodge around a scattered herd that ambled along the road. Thankfully Daryl was adept at controlling his bike and was by default a calm person under pressure. After a bit of weaving and couple sharp turns, they made it out of the smaller group with out any real trouble.

After a while she shouted into his ear. "We need to go to the highway, that's where everyone will go."

Daryl nodded that he heard and turned down the next dirt road they came across. After a while, they saw the tail lights of a vehicle zigzagging down the dirt road. Daryl sped up even more and easily caught up to the vehicle pulling up to the driver side window where they looked inside and saw Glenn and Maggie looking back at them.

Daryl nodded then pulled a head to lead them to the highway. Just as they hit pavement, a familiar blue truck screeched to a stop with T-Dog behind the wheel with Carol, Lori and Sophia, crammed tightly in the front and Beth and Amy in the back, clinging to the sides of the truck bed. Glenn poked his head out of the window.

"Come on, we got room!" He yelled at the poor girls in the back. They hopped out of the truck and climbed into the back of his SUV.

Once they were inside, Daryl took off once more and headed for the highway. They drove for well over half an hour before Abby spotted Carol's suburban down the road, parked by the Mustang they'd parked beside the RV that first day. Daryl nodded then cut across the ditch and drove up to the vehicle. Abby dropped her head onto Daryl's shoulder when she saw Rick, Hershel and Carl and sighed in relief.

"Auntie!" "Abigail!" Rick and Carl called at the same time.

Abby jumped off the bike then ran and hugged her brother.

"Mom!" Carl called suddenly and Rick let go of Abby as they watched Lori run over and hug her son. Rick gave Abby a quick kiss on the cheek and went to hug his family.

After a bunch of hugs and greetings were exchanged. People started asking about those who were missing. Shane, Andrea, Patricia and Jimmy. T-Dog had seen Andrea go down while Hershel had seen Patricia get taken down by walkers. Jimmy had been overrun at the RV after he'd rescued Rick and Carl. Daryl wanted to go back and check for Andrea since no one had actually seen her die but Rick refused to let him go despite Amy's begging.

Rick, Lori, Carl, Amy, Sophia and Carol crammed into the suburban, with Sophia in her mother's lap while Glenn, Maggie, Beth Hershel and T-Dog crammed into the SUV and Daryl and Abby rode together on the back of Daryl's bike. Abby was happy that she was the lucky one to ride with Daryl, not just because he was her boyfriend but because she didn't have to cram into one of those vehicles, despite the fact that they had climate control while she had bitter cold air nipping at her face. Burying her face into Daryl's back was good enough for her.

She was also happy that Lori had enough presence of mind to rescue her rifle, which now was strapped to the side of her pack that she'd never taken off after she'd climbed down from the windmill, not to mention the food that was still crammed in side. Rick had left a sign on the windshield of a car hoping that if Andrea was a live and if Morgan and his son passed this way, they'd see it, avoid the farm and seek them out. It was a fool's dream but it gave people hope.

They drove until well pass midday when Rick honked his horn, the signal for everyone to stop. Daryl pulled to the side as did the rest of them and the two of them got off of the bike.

"You out?" Daryl asked as Rick trotted to the front of their caravan.

"Running on fumes." He replied as he looked around.

"We can't stay here." Maggie pointed out.

"We can't all fit in one car." Glenn added.

"We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning." Rick stated.

"Spending the night here?" Lori asked as she looked around.

"I'm freezing!" Carl complained.

"So am I!" Sophia added.

Rick took off his coat and wrapped it around Carl's shoulders while Abby dug into her backpack and pulled out a thick flannel shirt and handed it to Sophia. "We'll build a fire, right?" Lori said.

"If you go out to collect firewood, don't go too far. Only got so many arrows. How you doing on ammo?" Daryl asked.

"Not enough." Rick said.

"But not as bad as you think though." Abby said as she dug into her bag and produced the two boxes of bullets. "Got a bit of food in here too but it'll only last a couple of day with all of us."

"Count on a Marine to be prepared." T-Dog said smirking.

"We can't just sit here with our asses hanging out." Maggie said uncomfortably.

"Watch your mouth." Hershel scolded Maggie then added to the rest of the group. "Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick."

"All right. We'll set up a perimeter. In the morning, we'll find gas and supplies, we'll keep pushing on." Rick said confidently.

"Glenn and I can do a run now, try and scrounge up some gas." Maggie said desperately.

"No, we stay together." Rick said curtly.

"He's right splitting up is a bad idea. Too many things can go wrong. Look, I know you're all tired and scared and cold but this _is_ what's best." Abby said pointing to Rick.

"Look I know we've all been through hell and worse but at least we're together." Rick said passionately. "We need to keep it that way. We'll find a place somewhere. There's gotta be a place, a place we can fortify. I have to believe that."

"Even if we did find a place." Maggie started. "and we think it's safe, we can never be sure. For how long? Look at what happened to the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that it was safe."

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there." Abby said putting up her hands. "We are never safe, even before the dead rose. We might've looked safe on the surface but we weren't. I mean between terrorism, natural disasters and diseases, something bad has always been just around the corner. We just gotta plan a little more now and keep calm! And above all we gotta keep faith that something better will come."

"I have to say Abigail, after talking to Rick I didn't figure you to be spiritual." Hershel said in surprise.

"Don't know if its really spiritual but it don't mean I don't have belief. I've seen some pretty crazy shit, its gotta be for something, right? Karma and all that." Abby said with a shrug.

Rick gave her a bit of weird look and she shrugged at him. Looked off to the side then back at the group. "We'll set up camp over there. Get back on the road at the break of day."

"Does this feel right to you?" Carol asked Daryl, which Abby thought a little weird but they did have a bit of a weird relationship.

"What if walkers come through? Or another group like Randall's?" Beth asked Rick.

"You know I found Randall, right?" Daryl said looking between Rick and Abby. "He had turned but wasn't bit."

Rick suddenly looked a little nauseous. "How's that possible?" Beth asked.

"Rick, what the hell happened?" Lori asked him.

"Shane killed Randall, just like he always wanted too." Daryl concluded.

"And then the herd got him?" Lori asked.

Rick looked like he was going to hurl but after taking several deep breathes, he finally said. "We're all infected."

Everyone stared at him in silent horror. "What?" Daryl finally asked.

"At the CDC," Rick explained. "Jenner told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it."

Daryl walked little ways away, also now looking sick as Carol stepped forward. "And you never told us?" She asked him in disbelief.

"Would it have made a difference?" Rick asked.

"You've known this whole time?" Daryl asked finally sounding irritated.

"How could I have known for sure?" Rick asked angrily. "You saw how crazy that mo…"

"That wasn't your call!" Glenn exclaimed.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Abby yelled. "This ain't helpin' nothing! Questioning Rick's decisions, don't help nothing and him telling us wouldn't have changed anything!"

"Of course, you'd take his side." Amy groused.

"I ain't takin' sides, I'm being reasonable." Abby growled. "The more we doubt and infight each other, the more of us are going to die. You just have to accept that what was done, was done for the better of the group and move on!"

"We aren't soldiers, Abby." Amy continued. "We can't just follow orders, and not question them."

"Well you might just have to learn too." Abby growled.

Rick put a hand on her shoulder. "I thought it was for the best, that you shouldn't know." Rick said then turned and stalked off to the ruins on the side of the road and Lori followed after him.

Daryl, T-Dog and Abby started talking about setting up camp when suddenly Lori screamed. "You bitch! You killed him!"

Abby turned shocked by the outburst, and saw Rick holding Lori back only a few feet away, clawing towards Abby like a feral cat. Everyone but Daryl looked at Lori then Abby in shock.

"You killed him!" She screamed, again.

"I had to." Abby said softly and Daryl put himself between the two women.

"What's she talkin' about?" T-Dog asked.

"She killed Shane!" Lori sobbed.

"He was going to kill Rick!" Abby suddenly shouted back, tears starting to form. "I waited! I could have shot him sooner but I waited, hoping Rick would talk him down but he wasn't backing down! He had a gun pointed at his head! It was either your husband or your boyfriend, you couldn't have both! If anyone killed him, it was you!" With every word, Abby's volume increased until she was screaming, venom dripping from ever word.

Rick looked torn between whom he should comfort, his sister whom was on the verge of tears or his wife who was already crying but Daryl turned to Abby then pulled her into a hug which shocked everyone. They were even more shocked when she wrapped her arms around his waist and put her face into his shoulder.

"She's right. Shane was planning to kill me." Rick said after he'd recovered from his shock. "That's why he killed Randall. To lure me out into the woods but he failed to remember when he pointed his gun at me, that Abby's a crack shot with helluva scope. This is Shane's fault not Abby's and not Lori's."

Everyone stared at each other awkwardly for a moment as Abby straightened up and wiped her face, then slowly the drifted to the shoulder of the road and sat down. As Hershel walked by he put a hand on her shoulder.

"You did what was needed, he was getting increasingly unstable. You did nothing wrong." He said to her softly.

"I'm sure you did what you had to do." Beth agreed and even gave Abby a hug before following after her father.

When everyone but Rick, Abby and Daryl had drifted over to the ruins, Daryl picked up his crossbow and looked between the two siblings. "I'm gonna gather some firewood, the others might calm down after they've warmed up a little."

"Don't go out of shouting distance and keep your eyes open." Rick said to Daryl who nodded his acknowledgement and walked off.

"If it makes you feel any better, she's angry at me too." Rick said as he stepped forward and crouched down so he could look her in the eye.

"You don't hate me?" She asked him, her voice breaking at the end with the thought that he still might.

Rick pulled her into a tight hug. "No! I don't hate you!" He said fiercely. "I love you! Shane was going to kill me! I you hadn't shot him, it would have been me." He leaned back. "I know it hard, trust me I know. We've known him for a long time, its hard to lose anyone, let alone someone you've known practically your whole life."

"He was your friend, I should be comforting you." She leaned forward and hugged him again. "What was that shot? After I shot…him, there was a second shot."

Rick got up and turned away from her, rubbing his face. "It was Carl, Shane…turned. He put Shane down…"

Abby tried to say something but she was too shocked. Her young nephew had to shoot a man he's known his whole life like an uncle, in the head. She looked over to where Carl sat with Sophia playing with a deck of cards that someone must've had. He seemed fine but he was a Grimes, and the Grimes' excelled at hiding their problems until they cracked.

"I'm sorry, Rick." She said finally. "That must've been difficult to watch…"

"What kind of father, has his son shoot…anyone!" Rick said, the pain evident in his voice.

"I doubt you made _him_ , Rick. He was just protecting his daddy, it might not be right but there was nothing that you could've done differently! He shouldn't have even been there!" Abby put a hand on his shoulder.

Later that evening Abby sat with her back to the wall, sitting in one of the three entrances, keeping herself away from the group, while they all warmed themselves by the fire. Daryl would come and sit by her, off and on, but eventually he'd go back to the fire and tend to it. T-Dog had offered to take the first watch and stood on a wall staring out into the darkness. Rick stood out in the darkness watching from the other side, while everyone else sat around the fire, wide awake.

Abby frowned as she looked over at Carol who was whispering to Daryl. Carol probably figured that she couldn't hear her from Abby's spot and mostly she couldn't but she could read lips. Carol wasn't happy with Rick's leadership and was questioning Abby's stability and her unwavering loyalty to her brother. Daryl's face didn't become hostile when she mentioned Rick but he spoke well of him. When she started talking about Abby, though Daryl got a little more defensive which caused Carol to inspect his face carefully, like she had a week previous.

Abby's frowned deepened when she looked over at Maggie who'd started saying something similar but was quickly cut off by Hershel. The camp was weak, but at least some of them were willing to stick together. It'd be stupid for anyone to leave but she was afraid that they might try and exile Rick or maybe even her, if they did that then Rick wouldn't leave without his wife and son and Daryl would probably go with her. That would leave them seriously weak, they'd die in matter of days.

Suddenly a twig snapped. "What was that?" Beth asked cautiously, looking around her fearfully.

"Could be anything. Could be a Racoon, could be a possum." Daryl replied not really sounding worried, just hungry which made Abby smile. Everyone but Daryl, Carl and Abby was immediately on there feet but Daryl did slowly rise and pull off his crossbow from his back.

"Walker." Glenn added.

"We need to leave!" Carol said panicked.

Abby scoffed. "Settle down y'all, I don't hear no shufflin' or groaning. We're loud enough they'd be excited."

"You don't know that!" Maggie said worriedly looking in the direction of the sound. "I don't want to be waitin' around for another herd to breeze through here!"

"Do something!" Carol said to Rick which made Abby scoff once more.

"I am doing something! I'm trying to keep y'all together! We can't just go running off into the woods!" Rick said irritated. "If y'all don't like what I'm doing? There's the door, see how long you survive out here on your own!" Rick paused and looked at everyone most whom looked awkwardly at the ground. "No takers? Well let me get one thing clear, if you're stayin', this isn't a democracy anymore!"

When no one spoke up, Abby added her own voice. "Fine by me, someone needs to take control." Abby said from where she still sat. Rick nodded at her then turned and walked off.

* * *

Thanks for your continued support! I feel very loved!

-Shockra


	15. Chapter 15

Hey everyone! So I have a no-zombie TWD story that'd I've been considering on post but I'm not sure having three stories on the go is such a good idea... Anyways, did you all catch the season premiere? It made me happy, especially after the traumatic start to season 7.

* * *

Abby followed quietly behind Daryl and Glenn as they slowly moved down the main street of a small city. According to the map they'd found at a gas stop on the edge of the city, there a pharmacy in town. It'd been a week since the farm had fallen and they had been constantly on the move. They'd managed to find more food and some fuel but they lacked basic medical supplies and that was making Hershel uncomfortable. So, he'd asked Rick if they could seek out a pharmacy so that they could get some antibiotic, bandages and a whole list of other supplies so that if they got injured, they'd be prepared.

The small city was old and a little run down, which may have been a blessing in disguise, that meant fewer people had populated it before the dead rose; which meant fewer walkers. Abby looked at the building, impressed by its size, considering where it was situated which gave her hope that there might actually be something in side that they needed. A third of the front was covered with windows, which gave them a good view of the inside.

From what they could see, the store front was still in tact, untouched by any other scavengers. They all looked at each nodded, then approached the front doors. Daryl gave them a good shake but as they'd figured, it was locked. He then gave a good bang on the glass, then they peered in side to look for movement within the store. When nothing happened, Glenn crouched down and started working on the lock.

Much to all of their shock, Glenn actually managed to pick the lock. "I did it!" He said in shock and delight.

Abby chuckled. "Yes, you did, Glenn. Good work!"

Daryl slowly opened the door then banged on the door frame for good measure. When nothing happened again, Daryl took the lead while Abby took the rear and they made a slow circuit of the store. The store had eight long aisles and at the very back corner of the store was the actually pharmacy itself. In the other corner was a single door on one wall and a set of swinging double doors on the other.

"Do we really wanna know what's behind doors number one and two?" Glenn asked in dread.

"Rather not get surprised." Daryl replied softly.

"Agreed. You can stay here, Daryl and I can handle this." Abby put in.

"No, no its fine. I just…don't like dark unknown spaces." Glenn said with a defeated sigh.

"That's pretty much our life now, man." Daryl said quirking his eyebrow.

"Oh joy." Glenn said sarcastically.

"Let's go through the small door first. Probably the staff room, that" Abby indicated the double doors "is likely the stock room."

Daryl nodded then walked up to the door and grabbed the handle while Glenn pulled out a flashlight and pointed it at the door. Abby took point with her pistol, held up her hand then counted down from three and when she reached one, Daryl swung the door open. When nothing happened, Abby slow inched forward while Glenn shone the light around the room. The room was a basic square, with some cabinets and a small fridge on one side and a table with six chairs in the center and more importantly no walkers.

They turned around and headed for the double doors, this time Daryl and Glenn opened the doors and held them open while she took the flashlight and held it under her pistol and moved slowly in side. The stock room wasn't terribly big, nearly as long as the store and about six feet deep but it was pitch black and had many short shelves blocking most of the view. Daryl banged on the door frame as Abby swept the flashlight from one end of the room to the other but nothing popped out. Abby slowly moved to one side while Daryl followed close behind.

At the end of the room, Abby stared in horror at what she saw in far back corner of the room. On the floor lay two bodies, one was a grown man but the other was what looked to be a two-year-old child. The child had a bullet hole in its head and the man, still clutched the pistol after having blown his own brains out. Daryl pulled on her shoulder.

"You don't need to see that." He said gently. She stepped back and the three of left the room.

Once back in the store, Daryl turned to Glenn. "Why don't you get those pills that Hershel wanted, then you and Abby can search the store. I'll join y'all when I'm done with this room." He said indicating the stock room behind him.

"Should you really be doing that on your own?" Abby asked concerned.

"I agree, there's a lot blind corners in there and its really dark." Glenn said supporting Abby.

"I can look after myself. Just do what I say." Daryl said firmly.

"Fine. If you're not out of there in eight minutes, I'm coming to check on you." Abby agreed.

"Fine, it won't even take that long." Daryl replied, then took the flashlight from her and disappeared into the stock room.

Abby sighed. "Well you heard him, you hit the pharmacy, I'll start on the store front."

Glenn nodded, after a sigh, then turned and walked off to the pharmacy, vaulting over the counter. Abby headed straight for the first aid aisle and stuffed every last piece of gauze, peroxide and medical tape, into her bag. She then grabbed a couple of different splints and other first aid items. She'd hoped for some suture kits but that'd have to be found at an actual medical facility of some sort, so instead she went to where they had a couple of sewing supplies and grabbed a couple of packages of needles and the heavier thread.

Suddenly Daryl appeared at the end of an isle, smirked at her then walked up to her. "Told you it wouldn't take long. Most of the stuff back there isn't useful. Just grabbed several packages of bottled water." Daryl held up a package of condoms. "Stopped down a certain aisle."

Abby chuckled. "We should be good for a while but when will we get the time…or privacy?"

Daryl shoved the package into a pocket of his backpack he reserved for his personal items. "One day, gotta be prepared, right?"

"Hey I got it all." Glenn called as he started down the aisle.

"I'm going to look for the vitamin section. One of you should look for the over the counter pain killers." Abby said as she turned walked away.

Twenty minutes later, they'd finished scavenging supplies from the store and headed out once more. They threw their packs and the six cases of bottled water into the back of the new truck they'd just scavenged the day before, and climbed inside. Abby climbed into the back seat of the cab while the guys climbed in the front, with Daryl driving.

As they drove down the road, Abby gazed at the houses and business that rolled by and thought glumly how it reminded her of King county. Something suddenly caught Abby's eye that peaked her interest so she shouted, stop! Daryl slammed on the brakes looked around confused then both Daryl and Glenn looked back at her.

"What?" Daryl asked annoyed.

"Back it up to that street!" She said as she pointed to the street they'd just passed.

Daryl grumbled but put the truck into reverse and backed the truck up. Abby pulled out a compact set of binoculars she'd found, from her pant pocket and rolled down the window. She peered through the binoculars and smiled.

"There's a police station just down the block!" She said happily.

"I dunno, Rick said there and back." Glenn said wincing.

"I'll deal with Rick. We're low on ammo, we should be able to find some there." Abby reminded them.

Daryl thought about it for a moment. "Aw screw it!" He said as he cranked the steering wheel and turned down the street, towards the police station.

He pulled to a stop right in front of the front doors and the three of them jumped out once more. They looked around their immediate vicinity to make sure they would be snuck up on by walkers before walking back to front door.

"I don't think I'll be able to pick this lock." Glenn said looking down at the lock.

"The glass is probably bullet proof as well, so it won't just break." Daryl said as he wrapped his knuckles on the glass.

Abby looked back at a police car that was parked in the driveway and trotted up to it. The door had been left unlock, so she opened the door and sat down in side. Daryl poked his head in as she started rifling around the cars interior.

"Whatcha doin'?" He asked her.

"Lookin' for keys." She said simply.

"I doubt they'd just leave keys to the station in a car." Daryl said skeptically.

Abby scoffed. "You should hear some of the stupid things Rick's told me about." Suddenly she smiled wickedly and held up a pair of keys that'd been stuffed in between the driver seat and center console.

"Doubt any of those belong to the station." Daryl said as he continued being skeptically.

Daryl stepped back as she got out. "What do I get if I'm right?" She asked him smugly.

"My gratitude?" He replied smirking slightly.

"How about you let me drive your bike for a day?" She asked.

"Mmph, in your dreams girlie." Daryl replied shaking his head.

"What? You think you're gonna lose?" Abby asked as she walked back towards the building.

"I've learned to not bet against you." Daryl said simply which invoked a laugh from her.

Daryl started for the front door but stopped when he realized she was walking to the side of the building. He frowned but decided to not question her and waved to Glenn to follow. On the side of the building was a metal door with no windows on it.

"The officers entrance." She said simply as they walked up the three stairs to the door.

Abby carefully inspected the keys then chose one and stuck it into the door and turned. The door clicked and she smiled as it pulled open while Daryl shook his head in disbelief.

"Like I said." Daryl mumbled, then walked up the steps and shined the flashlight that he still had, in side and banged on the door.

This time though, there was an immediate snarl as a nearby walker turned around and lunged at him. Abby quickly plunged the blade into its skull while Daryl lifted his crossbow and shot a second walker that was stumbling towards them. A third followed immediately but Daryl smashed the butt of his crossbow into it face and it wheeled back long enough for Abby pull her blade free from the first walker and plunge it into the third one.

The pause briefly to wait for more but no more came. Daryl banged on the door frame again but still no more came. They quickly patted down the walkers who happened to all have been police officers and collected more pistols, a handful of ammo and more keys.

They slowly entered the room and quickly went through the lockers before leaving and entering the main part of the police station. Abby looked around and realized that the foot print of the station was the exact same as the station Rick had worked in. They found two more walkers locked in the cells but otherwise, the place was clear. Abby lead them straight to the armoury and was disappointed to find it mostly cleaned out.

"One of the other cops musta done what Rick did." Glenn said sadly.

"Well might as well take what's left. We should check the evidence room too, you'd be surprised by some the stuff you'd find there." Abby advised.

They managed to find the key for the cage and took a shotgun, several boxes of various different types of ammo and a silencer for a pistol. Abby led them to the evidence room and there the found and second homemade silencer for a Beretta, six bolts for Daryl's crossbow and a couple of hunting knives. They searched all the desks but only found a couple of rounds here and there and nothing else.

As they headed out the backdoor Glenn looked at Abby. "So, you spend a lot of time in prison or something? You seemed to know your way around that place pretty well."

Abby laughed. "This place is almost identical to the station Rick worked at and yes I'd been brought there a few times as a delinquent but also visited Rick a few times while he was working."

"We better get goin', you two. Rick's probably already pitchin' a fit." Daryl said as he looked back at them, as he marched towards the truck.

"Since when did you become such a stickler for followin' orders?" Abby joked as she picked up her pace.

They got back on the road, and immediately headed back in the direction of camp. Abby had decided to lay down in the back of the truck so she could catch a quick nap. She hadn't really had much sleep over the last week. Between covering watches and being constantly on the move, she was lucky if she got an hour or two of sleep. When she did have time to sleep, it was a very light, uneasy sleep.

Just as Abby had started to nod off, Daryl cursed loudly, causing Abby to bolt upright. Daryl was looking out his driver side window, scowling. When she looked out the window, she saw a herd of walkers heading in the direction of the house they'd decided to take up residence in for the night.

"How many do you think there are?" Glenn asked as Daryl floored it.

"Probably around a hundred." Abby guessed.

"When we pull up, Glenn you get in the driver seat while we gather up the others." Daryl instructed.

Daryl flew onto the driveway, slammed it into reverse and back it up to the door they'd used earlier, then Abby and Daryl propelled themselves out of the vehicle and ran inside. Several weapons came up and pointed at them at the same time, as they burst through the door but Daryl ignored them and grabbed the nearest bag.

"There's a huge herd of walkers headin' straight this way. We need to bug out now!" Abby said as she grabbed her stuff and Lori's, before she ran it out the suburban. In less two minutes, they were completely packed up and rolling out.

They left just in the nick of time. As they all pulled out of the driveway, the walkers came into view and partially blocked the one end of the street, forcing them to head down in the other direction. They briefly had to get onto the main highway for about ten miles before turning off onto a dirt road. The walkers had been heading in a westerly direction so they'd decided to head in a northerly direction. When the road turned onto a small highway, they pulled to a stop and discussed where they wanted to go to next.

"What do you think, Daryl?" Rick asked, as the guys plus Abby, gathered around the hood of one of the vehicles.

"There's a town just around the corner but with the light fadin', don't know if it's a good idea to be wanderin' around tryin' to find a good place to battin' down the hatches." Daryl said as he pointed to the small town then pointed to a small lake. "The lake here is too small for a community to be 'round, likely someone's property, probably a house there. It'll probably be rundown an' small but it'll be sheltered an' we can fish in the mornin'."

"Fresh meat sounds amazin'!" T-Dog said practically drooling, no one had really eaten much in the last three days.

"The woods will give you some good huntin' too." Abby pointed out.

Daryl nodded, "Probably. And with those new fibreglass bolts, won't have worry 'bout them breakin' so easily."

"It'll work, we need a place to hunker down sooner than later." Rick said finally coming to a decision.

They all jumped back into or on their vehicles and followed Daryl on his motorcycle, down the smaller highway. He paused briefly to get off his bike and peered down a road with a gate on it but when he came back, he shook his head and drove on. From what Abby could tell from the map, it wasn't the place he'd been thinking about anyways.

After another ten minutes of driving, Daryl turned down another dirt road as the sun started fading behind the trees. And as he'd predicted, there was a single small shack on the property but it should be big enough for them to cram into. To one side of the building, was a burnt-out shell of a stone building that had likely been the original house but all that was left were a couple of walls and some parts of a fireplace. On the other side, nearest to lake was a small shed.

They all pulled in front of the house, and Rick, Carl, Daryl and T-Dog got out and went to the front door, then entered the building. A few minutes later, Rick appeared in the door way and waved at them, that all was clear and everyone got out of the vehicles at the same time. Daryl appeared at the door and grabbed Abby's arm, pulling her outside once more with him.

"Let's make a quick check of the perimeter before it gets too dark." He said pulling her along.

When he let go, Abby pulled out her pistol and the two of them walked down to the lake, then circled around the front of the house and then towards the woods on the one side. The whole way they didn't say a word to each other but they walked close to each as they walked. As they walked by the woods they came to a stop when sudden movement caught their attention, making them raised their weapons and watched the trees. Suddenly a racoon scampered across the forest floor and with lightening fast reaction and deadly accuracy, Daryl shot the racoon through the chest. When they walked through the door with a racoon in hand, everyone was very excited. It'd hardly fill them up but they'd eaten better than they had in a couple of days.

Ever since they scene on the road, Rick had been watching Daryl and Abby very carefully. Generally, he never left them alone; he'd either send someone with them or send someone else entirely to replace one of them. Abby and Rick hadn't really had a proper private conversation but Abby was pretty surprised that he hadn't been more…aggressive in keeping them apart but he was probable too grateful for what she'd done for him both at the farm and since they'd left. Not to mention that Daryl and Abby had been one of the few unwavering supporters of his, other than Hershel and he probably didn't want to be ungrateful.

"I don't mean to be a thorn in your sides," Hershel said as he looked at Glenn, Daryl and Abby. "But did you get the supplies I was looking for?"

Glenn grabbed the backpack he'd found in the store and unzipped it. "Yeah, I think we pretty much got everything, in the prescription department anyways." He said the looked at Abby and she pulled her pack over to her and dumped out the contents onto the floor.

"I didn't find everything, but I did find most things." She replied as Hershel rummaged through her stack.

"What about food?" Carol asked. "I know it's a pharmacy but sometimes they have a few things."

"Just some protein bars." Daryl said as he tossed six boxes on top of Abby's stack.

"What took you so long getting back? Was there a problem?" Rick asked stuck somewhere between worried and annoyed.

Abby sighed then dug into a different pocket of her backpack and pulled out the smaller stuff they'd found at the police station. "We made a pit stop at my request. Found some bolts for Daryl's crossbow and a shotgun that we left in the truck, also."

Rick frowned. "A pitstop?" He asked.

"Yeah, I saw a police station on the way back." She answered with a shrug.

"I was drivin', I decided to turn down the road." Daryl put in. "If we hadn't, we might've not seen that herd."

Abby could see the muscles in Rick's jaw flex as he tried to work passed his anger. Finally, he stood up an motioned at her to follow him and they walked outside.

"What the hell, Abigail? I've been trying to put up with your shit, but you can't just change plans without askin' me!" He growled at her quietly.

"I didn't change your plans, I just added to them. I'm not tryin' to undermine you, Rick; I'm just tryin' to look out for the group! We needed more ammunition! More weapons! A police station was a good place for that!" She growled right back.

"You wanna look out for the group, then yer stayin' with 'em! No more supply runs for you!" Rick said through gritted teeth. He turned to walk back towards the house but then turned back. "And stay away from Daryl Dixon! You and him ain't happening!"

Abby reached out and grabbed his arm as he turned away once more. "Don't tell me who I can and cannot see!" She hissed. "I ain't a kid anymore! If Daryl and I wanna get involved, then we are an' you can't do nothin' about it!"

"We'll see about that!" Rick growled and tried to turn away again but Abby slapped his face hard, causing him to reel back.

"Don't you dare try an' dictate my life! You can get away with being the dictator of this group and I'll support that but not my personal life! And don't even think of ruining things for the group or Daryl. Daryl's a good man!" She hissed again at him, not wanting those inside to overhear their argument.

He looked at her furious. "Your husband just _died_ and you want to fool around with the first man you meet!"

"It's not like that at all! I like him as a _person_! I was honest with you," _mostly_ Abby thought "we _were_ just friends! And Martin and I were done _years_ ago, we just never got the papers. I mourned him as a friend I'd lost but he wasn't my lover."

Rick's face took on several emotions, then he rubbed his face as he sighed and looked down. "I still don't approve, Abigail. You've met his brother. What type of family do you think Daryl came from? He has a temper! What if he turns it on you?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "I can handle myself, Rick. And if he starts smacking me around, which I think is extremely against he nature _because_ of his upbringing, you'll be the first to know. And since when did being raised in the sticks, become something you turned up your nose at?"

"When my sister decided to date someone from the sticks." He answered as he crossed him arms and looked at her firmly.

"In case you've forgotten, we basically came from there also! Maybe not the from the south but we were raised in the sticks too!" She reminded him.

"Not like that!" Rick disagreed.

"Why? Because our father didn't beat us? Because we were loved?" She retorted. Rick looked at her and winced but didn't reply. "I'm a grown woman, this ain't like before. I'm not interested in just some hook up and he knows that. He's not stupid, he knows what a botched relationship could mean in a situation like ours. Just give him a chance, Rick. Give _us_ a chance."

Rick was silent for a long moment then finally said. "I'll make you a deal. You follow my orders to the _T_ , no unplanned pitstop…nothing! In return, I'll leave you and Daryl be, I won't harass you about him." Abby made a sound of disgust. "Take it or leave it Abigail."

Abby paused as she glared at Rick, she always hated when he gave her ultimatums. "Fine, but you have to listen to me more. I know you think I'm reckless but I _do_ think things through. I'm better at assessing danger versus the possible gains, it apart of my training. I have skills you need and a willingness to harness them."

"Fine." Rick agreed.

"And tell Lori to back the hell off!" She added.

Rick grimaced. "We ain't exactly talkin' right now."

Abby sighed. "That's my fault, isn't it?"

Rick chuckled and smirked slightly. "Seems like that's what we argue about the most. You. Even when you were overseas but that's her problem, not yours." Rick rubbed his face. "Damn, sis, you may as well have punched me! It's unnatural for a woman to have so much strength."

Abby shoved at him playfully. "Shut up, yer just a pussy."

The next morning, Abby woke up completely alone. For a moment she panicked, thinking she'd been left behind but Rick and Daryl would never leave her. Abby stretched as she sat up and looked around her. All the bags were still scattered around the living room but all the supplies and blankets had been packed away, ready to leave at a moments notice. Abby threw on a thick sweater, packed up her own blanket and her few scattered items, then went outside.

Still she didn't immediately see anyone but Daryl's bike and the other two of three vehicles were still there. Abby rounded one corner of the house and saw Lori, Carol and Beth bent over picking at something on the ground. When they heard her approach, Beth straightened up and waved at her, smiling.

"Look at what we found!" She said excitedly.

Abby smiled at back at her. "That's awesome!" She replied as she watched the three ladies pick through the six by twelve foot garden. The plants weren't terribly healthy, having not been looked after for well over a month and with the weather severely taking a downwards spiral. Still, there was cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, beans and peas.

"We should be good on vegetables for at least a week!" Carol added equally happily.

"Fresh vegetables will be amazing. Where is everyone?" Abby finally asked.

"Rick, Glenn and Hershel went into town to look for more food and other supplies. Daryl's off hunting, Amy is teachin' the kids to fish with Maggie's help and I believe T-Dog is lookin' through that shed by the lake." Carol answered as she straightened up and wiped sweat from her forehead.

"I guess I'll see if T-Dog needs any help." Abby said then turned.

"I thought you might wanna help us." Lori said finally speaking up, the first time since she'd found at that Abby had shot Shane. "You like this sort of thing."

"I sure do but unless you're tired, I didn't figure this tiny garden needed the four of us in it." Abby answered simply.

"I'm fine." Lori said with a nod.

Abby turned once more then walked across the property, to where the shed was located. When she arrived, the door was wide open but Abby figured she should knock as not to startle T-Dog. When she did, he turned towards her and smiled.

"Hey sleeping beauty, you finally awake!" He said with a chuckle.

"Ya'll could've woken me up." She said pulling an annoyed face.

"No one could remember the last time you'd slept, so we thought we'd let you sleep in for once." T-Dog replied as he turned back to the drawers he was rifling through.

"Need help?" She asked.

"Not really, I'm almost done." T-Dog said as he moved from one drawer to another.

"Has anyone gone through the house yet? I know we hadn't last night." Abby asked.

"No, we didn't wanna wake you up."

"Well, I guess that's how I'm gonna keep myself busy for the next little while." Abby turned and waved over her shoulder. "Later!"

"Keep it real!" T-Dog said as she left.

Abby walked back into the house and headed straight into the kitchen. It was likely that they at least checked it, food being essential but she thought she'd check to make sure nothing was missed. Nothing was there to find, other than a couple of knives, so she moved on to the back of the house, where there was two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Abby had finished with the bathroom and the smaller bedroom when she heard footsteps. They had gone first to the kitchen but when she'd dropped a book she'd pulled out of the book and had been reading the back on, they came straight to the room she was in. Abby looked up as a crossbow slowly came into view, making Abby smile.

"It's just me." She said and he lowered his crossbow. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"Figured it was one of our group but better safe than sorry." He said as he stepped in and looked at the door then at the bed.

Abby laughed, "As much I'd like to do what's goin' through your head. Someone is likely to come back into the house at any moment."

Daryl threw his crossbow and his line of animals onto the bed and stalked towards her, Abby dropped her book again then she wrapped her arms around his neck while he lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. She giggled as together they collapsed onto the bed. They spent the next ten minutes kissing, touching and grinding, if someone hadn't walked through the front door when they did, they probably would have ended up going all the way.

Daryl rolled off of her so could she sit up and straighten her self out. She then grabbed his line of kills and partially closed the door as she left so he could compose himself while she got started on the rabbits. She was half way through her first rabbit when he finally made an appearance.

"Do you know what yer doing?" He asked after grabbing her ass.

She smiled at broadly. "I might not be able to skin a squirrel effectively but I can manage a rabbit."

The front door opened again and in came Maggie, Amy, Sophia and Carl, all laughing loudly as they came in. Daryl looked annoyedly over his shoulder in the direction of their laughter.

"Tryin' to attract every walker within five miles?" He mumbled.

"Momma! Look how many we caught!" Sophia exclaimed excitedly.

"That wonderful, do you wanna help me clean those fish?" Carol asked.

Footsteps followed and for whatever reason, all five on them came into the small kitchen. Abby smiled at Carol as she looked briefly surprised by their presence then put the line of seven fish on the counter.

"You two were awfully quiet, I didn't know you were in here." Carol said as she started rummaging through a drawer of cooking utensils.

"Here." Amy said as she produced a fillet knife and handed it to Carol.

"I don't know about Daryl, but it takes quite a bit of concentration for me to clean a rabbit." Abby said smiling.

"How much did you catch?" Maggie asked as she looked over Daryl and Abby's shoulders, then patted Daryl on the shoulder. "Good call coming here!"

"We can probably fry up those squirrels and rabbits and leave them for later. We can eat the fish for breakfast and maybe, if Rick's feeling generous, maybe some of those vegetables we were picking before." Carol said happily.

"Don't hold your breath. It's getting a little full in here, you can manage this can't you, Daryl?" Abby didn't know why but the kids were lingering even though they couldn't see anything as did Amy.

Daryl nodded his head as she plunked her finished rabbit on a plate then set the plate near Daryl so he could put his meat on it as well. Finally, Amy followed Abby out of the kitchen then outside onto the deck, where Maggie also sat. Abby looked at Amy strangely as she sat down.

"So…" Amy said smiling smugly. "You and Daryl huh."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Why is everyone pryin' into my business? Why not ask Maggie about her and Glenn?"

"'Cause they ain't secretive about their relationship." Amy said smirking.

"Well she doesn't have Rick for a brother." Abby said with an annoyed sighed.

"Have you met my daddy?" Maggie asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure your father never beat a boyfriend to a bloody pulp before, Rick has…a few times."

"So, you were worried that Rick would beat Daryl up?" Amy inquired.

"Well get into a fist fight anyways, kinda hard to say who'd actually win that brawl. I didn't want our relationship to further strain things in the group."

"So, when did it start? I heard Lori say to Carol that she figured that you two have been together for a while, even before you came to our farm." Maggie said.

"Andrea thought maybe before the attack on the camp outside Atlanta." Amy added.

Abby shook her head angrily. "People really think so little of me that they think I'd cheat on my husband or move on days after he died?"

"Lori moved on pretty quickly." Amy said simply.

"I ain't Lori, we ain't nothin' alike." Abby growled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Amy said as she sat up and looked at Abby sadly. "I think it's a good thing you've moved on! I didn't think much of him at first but he actually doesn't seem that bad, not like Merle."

"Yeah him and Merle are nothing a like."

"Was Merle really that bad?" Maggie asked, looking between the two ladies.

"He was loud, said a lot racist and sexist type of things. Was high most of the time that I knew him." Abby replied.

"He was just generally an offensive person, Daryl was a lot more…louder when Merle was around but he's changed since he lost his brother." Amy put in then looked back at Abby. "So, does Rick know about you two?"

"That was half of our argument last night, Rick tends to get side tracked when it comes to my relationships. He starts with something completely unrelated then work his way to yelling at me about my poor taste in men." Abby rolled her eyes.

"So, he doesn't approve?" Maggie said wincing.

"No, he doesn't but so long as I'm a good little solider he'll back off." Abby replied irritably rolling her eyes, then grumbled "Speaking of the devil."

The girls chuckled as they watched the SUV slowly roll down the drive way towards the house.

* * *

So? I hope I didn't confuse you with the gap. There's gonna be a couple of time gaps over the next couple chapters. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

-Shockra


	16. Chapter 16

So to make up for the shorter chapter last time, this chapter is probably almost twice the length. Also, Daryl gets lucky, you've been warned ;) It is more of an action filled chapter but I figured that Daryl and Abby deserved a little love. So, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Three Months Later

Abby closed her eyes tightly as she tried to forcing her panting to return to normal breathing, so the walkers that surrounded her, wouldn't hear her. Beside her laid Lori on one side and Carol and Sophia on the other. The four of them had been chased into a rundown old automotive garage in the middle of no where's, there was no hope of keeping the pursuing walkers out of the building so Abby had opted to shove herself and the other three ladies into a compartment in the floor that wasn't designed to hold three grown women plus a half-grown girl. Thankfully, Lori was barely showing the physical signs of her pregnancy but Abby worried about what the stressing of running so hard would do to her, let a lone running for your life and the ensuing stress.

Lori and Carol had wanted a few hours to wash a few articles of clothing so Abby had volunteered to stand watch and help while they cleaned. Sophia had been so traumatized by her experience on the highway that she very seldom left the sight of her mother, so she'd followed them down to the stream not far off the highway while the rest of their group planned on where they had wanted to go next.

The ladies had quietly scrubbed the clothes and were just about to finish when Sophia's scream brought them to attention. Abby immediately cursed herself for not paying attention as she cupped hand over the girl's mouth, some how they'd ended up in the middle a large pack of walkers and the larger chunk was in between them and the safety of the others. Thankfully, Abby had found a rusty old machete and after silencing Sophia they fought their way through the thinnest part of walkers and managed to find the garage.

Abby wasn't sure how long they laid cramped in that tiny compartment but eventually the shuffling of feet and the growling of hungry walkers faded as they moved on. Abby doubted that all had vacated the area but they couldn't stay in that compartment forever.

"Stay down." Abby whispered to the other ladies then slowly lifted the compartment door a little way and peered out.

From the one-hundred-and-eighty-degree angle that she could see, she didn't see any walkers. Thankfully the sun was still up but she could see it was quickly fading, and would be gone entirely in an hour, possibly less. Abby tightened her grip on the handle of her machete, that rested on her stomach, then opened the door the further, only to have it ripped from her grasp. A cold hand clamped down around her hand and reflexively, Abby swung her machete in that direction and managed to take the head off a walker.

Abby jumped out of the compartment, slammed the door shut and rushed three more walkers who came shambling in her direction. Abby cleaved the head of the first walker in the group but the blade got stuck as a second walker came at her growling. She pulled her pistol, which still had its silencer on it and shot it in the head then did the same to the third walker. Four more came out of what had once been an office but they were far enough away that Abby put her foot on the first walkers head and gave her machete another strong tug, only to have the blade snap. Abby cursed under breath as she aimed her pistol and quickly put the four down.

She quickly scanned the area for more walkers but found no more within the building, so she walked back to the compartment and opened the door to be greet with a pistol in the face. Lori sighed with relief when she saw it was Abby and they all slowly got up as Abby indicated for them to be quiet.

As they got up and shook out the cramps in their muscles, Abby went to the front window and carefully peered out; what she saw nearly froze her blood. Out on the street, there were so many walkers that they had no hope of sneaking pass them. Abby indicated for the others to follow her into the office, which was the only place they could hide overnight and avoid detection. On the plus side, there was only one door and one tiny window that was over only eighteen inches deep and two feet wide and over six feet up. On the negative side, there was only one door and a tiny window that any of the average sized women couldn't reach easily if they needed a quick exit.

"What do we do?" Carol asked worriedly as she hugged her quietly crying daughter.

"There isn't much we can do right now. Maybe they'll move off in the night." Abby sighed in frustration. She hated not having answers.

"We need to some how signal Rick and the others, so they know where we are." Lori stated.

Abby rubbed her head. "How do you plan on doing that? They have no idea where to look and we can't leave this building."

"What about a smoke fire?" Lori asked.

"How? Like I said we can't leave the building and its nearly dark!" Abby pointed out.

"Daryl will find us!" Sophia said confidently in between sniffles.

Abby winced. "Maybe." She didn't want to crush the kids hopes but that was highly unlikely. The others were likely unable to get anywhere near where they had last seen them and even if they could, all the walkers would have blurred their tracks and they'd eventually run into the herd that had followed them.

"Look, no matter what, we won't be able to do anythin' until the mornin' anyways, so why don't y'all jus' get some sleep. I'll keep watch." Abby said indicating a sofa against the one wall.

"I'll relieve you in a couple hours, just wake me up." Lori offered.

But Abby shook her head. "I'll be fine for another day, you especially need your sleep. Don't worry about me."

"She's right Lori, you need your sleep. Especially after a day like today!" Carol agreed.

"Fine." Lori said in resignation.

While the other three did their best to settle on the one sofa, Abby decided to scavenge around the small office in hope of finding something useful while there was still sunlight. In one drawer Abby found a two energy bars and immediately handed them to Lori and Sophia. She also found a letter opener which she took as a back up to her other blades, otherwise there was nothing that'd be of help.

Abby was just about to get to her feet when she noticed her reflection in glare of a dead computer monitor. From the dim reflection, she could see that her face was covered in blood and when she looked down at her arms and torso, noticed even more blood; especially her hand and forearms. Most of the blood that was on her was on the layers clothing she was wearing but when she pushed back her sleeves, she noticed that a lot of blood had run down her sleeves making her skin itchy and uncomfortable. There was nothing she could do about it now anyways.

The next morning Abby started working out how to get out of their current predicament. Thankfully no walker had wandered into the garage while they slept, so it gave Abby some freedom to move around while she ordered the other three to remain in the office until she worked something out. It did seem that the herd had indeed thinned itself out, so Abby decided to take the risk and sneak out side. She carefully slipped out the side door without the notice of the walkers then made her way to the back where she found a ladder to the roof, curious, Abby climbed up it.

Once on the roof, she had a better view on what it was like around her. Most of the herd had indeed moved on but there still had to be at least twenty or thirty walkers near their location. The town at which the garage had apparently sat at the very edge that they were presently hunkered down in, was only a one block town surround by farms, acreages and forest and only one road leading into it and a large belt of trees to block the view of the town from the garage.

Abby used the small binoculars in her pocket to look out into the direction which she could see further but saw no sign of their caravan which wasn't entirely surprising, since they'd come from the forest behind her and to her left. Maybe Lori was right, they might need to make a signal fire. They couldn't just start wandering round and hope to find the others, they had to lure the others too them.

So, she went back inside grabbed a couple of accounting books and climbed back onto the roof. Once she'd started the fire, she sat on the roof for a good hour, constantly feeding the flames, then decided to risk making a quick run into the edge of the forest and grabbed an armful of leaves, nothing smoked like a pile of leaves. She managed to accomplish this feat with only having to kill two more walkers, who never saw her coming and managed to not attract the attention of the others.

Once she'd collected the leaves into a garbage bag she'd found in the office, she climbed back onto the roof and slowly fed them into her flame. The leaves were slightly moist from the most recent snow fall, so if she put too many on at once, she'd put out her flame entirely but eventually the fire caught, sending a huge column of smoke into the sky.

Just as the sun approached noon, a sound off in the distance attracted Abby's attention. She pulled the binoculars out of her pocket once more and looked down the road. Abby's heart leaped as she could see the shape of a man on a bike off in the distance. She couldn't get a clear view with her binoculars but it had to be Daryl. Abby jumped up and down and waved her arms wildly and hoped he saw her. When she looked through her binoculars again she saw three vehicles appear from the trees a little way back from the motorcycle as it sped its way towards them. Abby rushed to the ladder, looked over the side to make sure no walker waited for her, then climbed down and returned to the office in the garage where the others waited.

She smiled at them wickedly. "They're on their way here. I don't know what they're planning but once they get here, we need to be ready for them." Abby said as she tried to calm herself down.

"How do you know their coming?" Lori asked afraid to get her hopes up.

Abby indicated her binoculars. "I saw vehicles coming this way." She explained.

"How do you know its our people? It could be anybody!" Carol added skeptically.

"Well there's a really loud motorcycle, two SUV's and a truck. How likely is it to be anyone else? I mean I know there's chance but chances more likely to be our people." Abby replied confidently. It just had to be them.

The two women nodded their heads in silent agreement and the four of them walked to the front of the building. The sound which had been a distant hum had become a low rumble and quickly rose in volume until it came into view and screeched to a halt.

Sure enough, Daryl sat on the back of his motorcycle, surveying the scene in front of him. He revved the throttle several times, attracting the attention of every walker on the street, then did a long burnout before cutting across the ditch. This time he didn't go as fast as he'd come in, looking back and revving his engine as he slowly drove away. Slowly the herd lumbered after him, raising Abby's anxiety as he went. After the last walker had cleared the street, the truck came roaring in and screeched to a stop in front of the garage. Rick had half gotten out by the time the four ladies ran out of the building.

"Get in!" He shouted at them and Lori, Carol and Sophia jumped in the back while Abby climbed into the front with her brother. "Anyone hurt or bit?" He asked anxiously as the threw the truck into reverse and backed up, then turned around and took off in the direction he'd come.

"No, just hungry and tired, I think." Abby said as she slumped back into the seat.

She knew there wasn't a lot they could do about the hunger, they were dangerously low on food but she could stretch out in the back of a vehicle and get some sleep at least. Rick drove down the road to a four way stop where the other two vehicles had stopped to wait.

Carl immediately jumped out of the vehicle he was in and ran to the truck. Lori practically tumbled out of the truck then hugged Carl fiercely. When she finally let go of him, he turned and hugged Abby also; despite the fact that she was covered in gore. Rick also came around the front of the truck and hugged Abby tightly also giving Lori an awkward one-armed hug. Abby had hoped that for the sake of Carl and their unborn baby, that they'd be able to reconcile their differences but things only seemed to be getting more and more tense between the two.

When Daryl finally showed up almost an hour later, he practically ran over to Abby and lifted her up as he hugged the air out of her. He grabbed her face and looked her in the eyes.

"You okay?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." She said trying to comfort him with a smile.

While waiting for Daryl, it had begun to rain sleet, so after some convincing and rearranging, Rick and Daryl loaded the chopper into the back of the truck. It was for the best; even as he had driven up, Abby could see that he was having problems getting traction and balancing on the pavement that was starting to get a thick layer of slush on it. Not to mention he was soaked, his face was almost beet red from the cold air and water hitting his face.

Abby let Carl sit in the front seat with his dad, while Daryl and Abby climbed in the backseat. Carol, Sophia and Lori had once again returned to Carol's suburban where they seemed to prefer to travel in which was okay with Abby. Sitting in a vehicle with Rick and Lori had become immensely uncomfortably for anyone who had to be stuck with them, usually Carol or Amy.

Abby pulled off her gore stained jacket and started rummaging through her military backpack. "You got any spare clothes?" She asked Daryl. He was trying to hide it but he was shivering pretty good. Rick glanced in the rear-view mirror noticed Daryl shivering and cranked up the heat.

Daryl shook his head. "'s all I got, I'm fine though." He said as he continued to try and control the shivering.

Abby pulled out her blanket. "At least take your shirt, socks an' boots off, you're gonna get hypothermia at this point, if you don't warm up soon. You can wrap up in my blanket while your clothes dry."

"She's right, Daryl. You're gonna make yourself sick." Rick agreed.

Daryl sighed in annoyance as he sat forward and untied his boots, then pulled them and his socks off. While he started unbuttoning his shirt, Abby took his boots and put them in front of the floor vent between her feet; the top of the boot pointed into the fan.

Once he'd peeled off each layer, Abby handed him her blanket and arranged his shirts in front of the floor vent by his feet, while he wrapped himself up. Once she was satisfied, she rummaged in her back once more and pulled out a package of wet wipes and started wiping the blood off her face, then off her hands and forearms.

As they drove, Abby recounted their little adventure into the woods, all their near misses and them hiding in the floor to escaped the walkers. Even though Daryl's jean were still soaking wet, he had stopped shivering and paid close attention to what she said frowning throughout most of the story.

"The leaves were a good idea, didn't notice yer fire until about an hour before we actually found you." Daryl said.

"Yeah, luckily all those walkers didn't stick 'round. If they hadn't thinned out, I'd never been able to make that fire." Abby said glancing at Daryl then immediately looking away, feeling her face flush.

She felt like an idiot flushing at just a small peek of Daryl's chest, unfortunately he noticed and smirked as he opened the blanket up a little more to expose more chest. They had almost no physical contact since they'd found that small house in the bush. Generally, the only contact they made was Daryl grabbing her arm and hauling her ass to safety, or the occasional assistance over or onto objects but that was it.

They hadn't been able to stay in one spot for more than a few hours, it seemed like every time they tried to hunker down somewhere, they eventually got flushed out by a herd of walkers. For that reason, Daryl hadn't been able to do any amount of hunting and they hardly had time to scavenge, leaving them short on supplies.

Half way through the evening, the heavens opened up into a downpour of sleet, making the visibility even worse. According to the thermostat in truck, the temperature was dropping towards freezing. Rick eventually pulled over to the side of the road, under an overpass, followed by the other two vehicles.

Rick turned in his seat and looked back at the two of them. "I'm gonna go talk with Hershel, T-Dog and the rest. If this weather gets any worse one of us is bound to hit the ditch or worse. Daryl, you stay here, your clothes are still dryin'. You coming Abigail?"

"No, I'm gonna try an' get some shut eye. Haven't slept since the day before yesterday." Abby said as she slouched down further into her seat.

"Alright, shouldn't be too long." Rick said as he pulled the collar up of his coat.

"I'm coming too!" Carl called as he jumped out before Rick could reply.

With an annoyed sighed, he got out and slammed the door shut behind him. Abby turned her head and smirked at Daryl, she wasn't lying; she was exhausted but she wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to be alone with Daryl, even if it was brief.

She sat up and Daryl watched her expectantly, not knowing what she was going to do but more than happy to find out. She closed the distance between them and put a hand on his bare chest and kissed him. Daryl's hand came up to pull her further into the kiss, while her hand slid down his chest over the front of his pants. Daryl smiled at her as she unbuttoned his pants then pulled down the zipper.

Finally, she pulled back from kissing him and brought her head down to his groin while she pulled out his manhood and wrapped her mouth around its head. Daryl's head thudded against the head rest and he let out a groan of pleasure as she momentarily sucked on him, she then brought her face up again to kiss him while stroking the shaft of his penis with her hand. She kissed her way down from his mouth to his neck and then back to his throbbing erection.

She ran her tongue along the shaft of his penis as her hand cupped and massaged his balls. Suddenly he cursed and cum skirted out and splattered against the back of the driver seat. Abby looked at the splattered then at Daryl who blushed deeply, obviously embarrassed at cumming so quickly. Abby smiled at him then kissed him, that was the first time he'd done that and it amused Abby to no end but she couldn't blame him. Three and half months without any real contact with your woman, left you more than a little horny.

Abby had just bent her head down to continue her work when Daryl swore once more. "Rick's comin'." Daryl mumbled and Abby practically flung herself to the other side of the vehicle while Daryl wrapped the blanket tightly around him just as Rick and Carl climbed back into the truck. Daryl discreetly stuffed his balls back into his jeans and did them back up under the cover of his blanket while Abby put her head back like she'd been trying to sleep.

Abby rubbed her eyes theatrically and sat up once more. "So, what's happenin'?" She asked.

"There's a larger town nearby with a big department store, I've decided its worth the risk. We are in desperate need of supplies, maybe some more warm clothes." Rick replied as he started the vehicle once more.

Daryl discreetly wiped the back of the driver seat then pulled the blanket off and handed it to Abby. "Basically dry." He mumbled to himself then pulled on his several layers of shirts and then vest. He nodded towards his socks and boots. "How're they doin'?" He asked her.

Abby felt his socks and handed them to him but his boots were another story. "Boots are still soaked, they're gonna have to wait until we arrive at our destination." Abby said and Daryl feigned a grunt of irritation.

An hour and half later, they pulled in front of the big department store Rick had spoken of. Surprisingly it looked intact still but since they were pretty much in the middle of no where, and the town was small enough that everyone had probably evacuated together before things had gotten bad.

Everyone got out of their vehicles and gathered under the big awning in front of the double doors. "Alright, we're pretty much gonna use everyone to clear this place." Rick started. "Lori, Sophia and Carol will stay with the vehicles while the rest of us clear the building. Then once its clear, everyone will help scavenge for supplies."

"What about a place to stay? For night?" Abby asked.

"I'm not sure yet, hopefully we can stay here." Rick replied hopefully. "We'll go in pairs, Carl you're with me, Glenn with Hershel, T-Dog with Amy, Beth with Abigail and Maggie with Daryl. Glenn, d'you think you can pick that lock? You've been gettin' good at it."

"I'll give it a try." Glenn said then stepped forward and knelt down before the door.

By the time he finally got it opened, half of the group had started hopping around to try and keep warm. They all sighed in relief as they walked in side, getting out the of the wind and rain. In stead of banging on the door frame like they did with a smaller building, they opted for stealth in case there was a large group in side.

As Rick had instructed, they split into the pairs they had been assigned. Abby got why he had split them they way he had, a weaker person with a stronger person, but it annoyed her that she couldn't be with Daryl. She didn't mind being with Beth, she in fact liked both Greene girls but they weren't Daryl. Surprisingly, the big department was void of any walker, to the point that it was creeping everyone out.

Once it was clear, everyone was assigned to look for certain items and split up to look for them. Lori, Carol and Sophia joined the group and along with Abby and Beth they looked for clothes for themselves and the rest of the group. Unfortunately, it had been approaching summer when things went bad, so there was only a limited number of warmer clothing to scavenge through. Lori had the idea to check the warehouse for clothes, hoping to find the winter stuff packed way in the seasonal section and Abby agreed to look but told the others to stay where they were while she went to look by herself. On the way she found Daryl by himself trying to bust into a display cabinet.

"Whatcha doin' sexy?" She asked with a grin.

He smiled back at her as he jammed his knife into the lock. "There's some crossbow bolts in here." He said simply as he continued to work on the lock.

Abby spotted a nearby sales counter and went over to it. After she rummaged through a few drawers, she found a set of keys and walked back over to Daryl.

"Maybe these will help." She said holding the keys up and jingling them.

"What are you? A key hound." He grumbled as he took them as started trying them in the lock.

Abby turned, smacking Daryl's ass as she did and walked off, continuing on her way to the back where the warehouse was located. She pulled out her flashlight as she walked through the double doors and sighed in annoyance. The back was almost as big as the front. She flashed her light at the boxes and tried to get a pattern in how they had packed things.

After several minutes of searching, she found the clothing section. From what she saw, most of the boxes contained more of what was already out front but after a more thorough search, she found boxes containing winter clothing. She grabbed a flatbed cart and stacked several boxes on to the cart and wheeled it out onto the sales floor.

"What's that?" T-Dog asked, startling her.

Abby put her hand to her heart. "Winter clothes, there wasn't any out on the floor. Thought it was better to go through them out here then hidden in the back."

"Good idea. Anything in my size?" He asked as he started poking through a box.

"I don't know yet, just grabbed boxes with warm clothes in them." She replied.

She really felt sorry for T-Dog, he barely had anything warmer than a long sleeve t-shirt, as clothing in his size had been hard to come by, although warm clothes period, had been hard to come by. Abby rolled the cart down to where the other ladies waited, T-Dog following. She let them start distributing the boxes between themselves while Abby walked over to the men's jean section and looked for a black pair of jeans in Daryl's size.

He couldn't be too comfortable at the moment; his jeans were still quite wet. Once she found a pair, she quickly grabbed him a pair of gitch and trotted off to find him. He hadn't moved to much further from were she had seen him initially, only a few aisles over where the camping gear was situated.

"Drop your pants." She said and he looked up at her startled. She grinned and held up the jeans and underwear.

"Don't say shit like that! 'Specially when you can't act on it." Daryl grumbled as he stood up and kicked off his boots, then unbuttoned his pants and dropped them.

Abby watched in delight, biting her lip as he stripped from the waist down, then held out his hand with a cheeky smile on his lips. She handed him his new pair of gitch then watched as he pulled them on.

"Havin' fun watchin'?" He asked.

"Definitely am but I could be havin' more." She smugly replied.

"Give me those, before I do somethin' stupid again." He grabbed the pants from her and pulled them on. "Go on, shouldn't be alone with you right now."

She walked up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him passionately. Before she knew it, he had her back on the cold floor with Daryl grinding his hips into hers and his hands working on her pants button. She knew she should stop him, he undoubtedly was cursing himself as he was finally successful unbuttoning her pants, shoving them down and did his own pants, pulled out his cock and jammed it inside her.

It was quick, silent and aggressive love making and Abby didn't regret it for a second. Daryl flopped on to his back, stuffed his junk back into his new pants and covered his face with his hands.

"Go." He grumbled at her.

She pulled her pants back up, straightened herself out, then kissed his shoulder and left the aisle. She really hadn't meant for that to happen, she just wanted a kiss but with the sexual tension that had been building up between them for the last couple months, it was bound to happen. Especially since she'd given him a blow job only a couple hours earlier.

"Where'd you go?" Carol asked as she returned to the ladies.

"Daryl's been walking around in soaking wet pants, figure I'd get him something dry before he gets hypothermia." She said simply.

She hoped she didn't look to out of sorts, she'd hadn't stopped to check her appearance. After about an hour, everyone gathered in the clothing section and rummaged through the stack of clothing that had been. Abby handed Daryl a couple of plaid and other thick button up shirts, along with a new undershirt that wasn't stained beyond using and insulated hiking boots. He took them from her but tried his best not to look at her.

By the end of the day, they'd come away with a reasonable haul. She had found a spray that everyone could use to spray onto their foot wear that would offer the shoes a degree of waterproofness. They had scored a sizeable amount of canned food which sent every one over the moon, as well more first aid supplies that needed to be restock. Daryl had found a couple small portable propane stoves that they could use to cook and the mini propane containers that they'd need to use and some thermo-blankets.

* * *

Four Months Later

Things were only getting worse. It seemed like every day they were running from one herd or another, it seemed like they were slowly being surrounded and were running out of places to go. What was worse, now Lori almost eight months pregnant. Her stomach was massive and made it hard for her to squeeze through tight spaces, not to mention stress and running weren't particularly good for pregnant women. Abby was shocked that Lori hadn't miscarried due to malnutrition or delivered prematurely but instead she seemed to keep growing.

For whatever reason that Abby couldn't understand nor could Carl properly tell her, but he'd taken up hating his mother. Abby tried to mend the rift and Lori was desperate for her sons love but Carl was determined to hate her, seemingly no matter what. Maybe he blamed her for Shane's death or maybe he was just feeding on the vibe that blew between his parents that sucked the life out of him. Rick never spoke poorly of Lori in front of Carl but he never talked _too_ Lori either.

"Carol, give me a hand with this!" Abby said.

Rick had sent Abby, Carol and Maggie to find a place to camp out while the rest of the group siphoned gas for their vehicles in the half full parking lot in front of another big department store. Over the last month, Carol had managed to severe the umbilical cord between her and Sophia, getting Sophia to trust the members of the group enough to be okay with staying with them while her momma went off to do various tasks.

Once Carol helped open metal gate that led into an auto wrecker, Abby pulled her pistol while the other two held up their bat and tire iron. Abby would have never entered the yard but just for the fact that it was fenced but the auto wreckers store front's large windows had been completely covered up using car hoods, leaving the side door in the fenced yard, the only plausible way in. It would be a solid place to hunker down for the night but what worried Abby, was what was within the walls of the yard and building. They'd called a few times to see if there were people in side the building, before they'd entered the yard, to make sure that no living beings, were already living there. No one answered and the other two agreed it was worth the risk.

They crept along slowly through the tall grass, the grass growing almost up to Abby's waist along. Lining all sides of the fence where half complete cars, some with their windshields missing, others had the hood open with nothing but grass coming out. There was nothing in the yard beside rats and snakes, so they moved to the door. Carol stood on one side of the door while Maggie produced a slim Jim as Abby stood at point and waited while Maggie pried the door open.

Once open, Abby turned on her flashlight that was attached to her pistol, while Maggie banged on the door frame and waited for any signs of movement in side. When nothing happened, Abby slowly inched forward and shone her light around the room. It looked like a storage room, with metal shelves lining the walls with what looked like car parts on the shelves. Abby didn't look too closely, she was more concerned with hostiles at the moment. The room was void of either the living or the undead but the door on the opposite wall was closed, so anything within would be prevented from entering.

Abby half appraised the place as she moved forward. The walls were made from cinder blocks and the only windows were in the front and covered with metal. The doors she'd seen so far were also made from metal, so if they got into a tight situation while staying there, they'd have a chance to make a plan for escaping. So far, the place looked solid, they could even stay a couple days if they needed.

Abby reached for the door knob and slowly turned it while the other two poised themselves for a potential attack. She quickly opened the door and pointed her pistol into the void. She slowly crept in as the other two clicked on their own flashlights and followed her in. The door through which they had entered, brought them behind the sales counter which was a ten-foot-long and three feet deep space with a section of counter that flipped up so you could get into the rest of the store front that was on their right. There was one door at the other side of the sales counter that led outside but had been barred off then on the left was a second door with a window that had blinds blocking the view inside.

The front area was just a square space with only a few car decorations on the shelves along the walls, so they approached the second door. This time Carol grabbed the door and quickly swung it open but Abby was the one to step through. The room was surprisingly big. To one side was a desk with bookshelves behind it, on the other a couple of loveseats were position in a L formation in the corner around a tv. Then entire back of the wall was a kitchenette and a kitchen table with chairs. Stacked on the counter was a large quantity of canned goods and bottled water.

It looked too good to be true and it gave Abby a very ominous feeling. They slowly approached the stack looking around, expecting something to jump out at them but the room was a basic square with no where's for any one to hide. Abby reached out and picked up the top can, then something clicked. The next thing she knew, her was head was killing her and eyes her were closed. Abby opened them but the world was blurry and Carol and Maggie's frantic voices were muffled by the ringing in her ears.

Suddenly both Carol and Maggie screamed. Abby shook her head and rubbed her eyes, as things started clear up she saw that Carol and Maggie were upside down in a mesh netting. Abby looked at them confused, what she saw was gravity defying, then she realized that it was she who was upside down. Her hands hung loosely above her head and when she looked at the floor, she saw a small puddle of blood on the floor as well as her pistol.

Abby cursed as she touched the back of her head, her hand cominig away bloody. She wasn't sure what annoyed her more, that she'd tripped the trap or that she'd dropped her pistol in the process. She looked over at Maggie and Carol again.

"You okay?" She asked in a slightly slurred voice.

"Yeah, are you?" Maggie asked as she looked at her worriedly.

"You hit your head pretty hard." Carol added.

"How long was I out?" Abby asked.

"Only a couple of minutes, we tried to get you down but then we triggered another boobie-trap." Maggie said looking around.

Abby reached for the back of her belt and pulled out her big hunting knife. After taking a few deep breaths, she bent forward with as much momentum as she could muster. Nine months ago, she'd have been easily reached her ankles and cut the cord that held her upside down, but she'd lost most of her muscle mass and hadn't eaten in two days. She missed on her first attempt but managed to grab her ankles on the second.

Abby's stomach muscles quivered as she reached up and put her blade to the cord. Abby cursed, it was metal. She flipped the blade over to where it had a serrated edge. She managed to work on the cord for a minute but her stomach muscles gave out and she hadn't even begun to fray the cord.

"Do either of have a blade?" Abby asked as she tried to relax her body.

"We both dropped our blades." Maggie said grimacing.

Abby looked over at them, she could try and toss them her blade but in all likely hood, they wouldn't catch it and they'd be without a knife entirely. She had a second blade but she could feel it digging into her ankle which probably meant it was being constricted by the noose.

"Can either out get to the cord holding you up?" She asked, maybe the could untie it? She was really just grasping at straws. Her head hurt and her blood was rushing to her head wound, making her feel weaker by the moment.

"No, we're pretty tangled up in here." Carol said after they squirmed a little.

Suddenly a loud roar of several motorcycles and what sounded like possibly a semi truck, caught their attention. Abby cursed and looked around frantically for where the rope that was attached to her foot, was tied off but it looked like it was on the other side of Carol and Maggie, which was probably how they'd gotten caught in their trap. Abby tried once more to reach her ankles but on her fourth attempt, two men walked through the door and Abby quickly tucked her knife into the sheath on her belt behind her back.

"Well looky what we got here!" One man said as he clucked in appreciation.

"Three ladies, no less! Definitely a great catch!" The other man agreed.

The first man, who had a long thick and greying beard, shined a light into Abby's face and she heard him approach. "Look at this one! She's hawt!" He said with a chuckle then she felt him grab her dog tags that were by her chin. "And a Marine too!"

"Doubly sexy." The other agreed again.

Abby lashed out with her fist in the direction of the bearded man and felt her fist graze him. The light fell a way from her face momentarily then pain shot through her face as the man slapped her hard.

"Hey leave her a lone!" Maggie shouted.

The second man whistled, "this one is hawt too! And younger!"

The man picked up Abby's pistol and turned to Carol and Maggie. "Let's get 'em down." The bearded man said as he walked over to where both traps had been tied off, slapping Maggie in the ass as he walked by. "I call dibs on the Marine!" He said as Abby felt a tug on her ankle.

"Then I get the young one! One of the other guys can have the other one." The second man agreed and they started lowering Abby.

Just as Abby's finger tips started to brush the ground, they stopped and the bearded man pointed her pistol at her. The second man finished lowering her and came over to undo the noose around her ankles, removed the hunter blade from her belt and tied her hands up.

"Get up." The bearded man ordered indicating for her to go over where Maggie and Carol were.

Maggie and Carol weren't let down so nicely. The man just undid the knot and let them drop like a sack of potatoes. The same man flipped the mesh off of them and ordered them to get to their feet. The bearded man held Abby's pistol on them as the second man bound both of their hands.

They then lined Maggie and Carol in front of Abby and the second man lead them towards the door with the bearded man probing Abby in the back with her pistol. Abby shuffled forward three steps, swayed, then collapsed on to the ground, stealthily pulling her smaller blade from her boot as the bearded man kicked her and ordered her to her feet.

Abby staggered as she got to her feet, when she looked up she saw Carol and Maggie watching her worriedly. She tried to communicate with them through a look that she was about too do something, she wasn't sure if they got the message but she was about to find out. She took another staggering step forward, then as she lurched forward she swung around, with her blade in between both of her hands. The bearded man managed to get a shot off, hitting her in the shoulder but the bullet only made her swing faster and plunge the blade deeply into his skull.

At the same moment, Carol and Maggie tackled the second man from behind, pulled Abby's hunting knife from the mans belt and Maggie shoved the blade into his skull. Abby collapsed beside the now dead man and held her shoulder for a moment before staggering to her feet.

"Oh, my good! You've been shot!" Carol exclaimed as she rushed over to her.

"I'm fine." Abby said through gritted teeth. "Grab your knives and a couple of those cans and let's get out of here before more come!"

They both nodded and rushed to do what she had instructed as she bent over, picked up her pistol and put it into its holster. She grabbed a bandana from one of the men's pocket and stuffed it against the bullet hole as Carol and Maggie returned.

"Did it go through?" She asked as they came up to her.

Maggie shined a light onto her back. "Yeah it looks like it did." She pulled off her button up shirt and tied it tightly around the wound.

"Thanks." Abby said grimacing.

She pulled her pistol out once more and they carefully approached the door. There was no one in the store front but Abby could hear someone clanging in the storage room. Thankfully, Abby still had the silencer on her pistol so no one had heard the gun shot nor apparently the commotion in the back.

The three of them pressed against the wall as they approached the open door, then paused. Abby listened intently, which was hard with how much her head throbbed, but she could only hear one person, so she stepped quickly into the doorway and shot him in the head, before he knew what was going on. No one entered at the sound of the man collapsing, so they cautiously continued moving forward.

Abby seriously hoped they didn't get into a fire fight, not only did she have head injury that would likely affect her aim, but she only had nine more bullets…total. Their ammunition supply was in a sad state, the only thing with a plethora of ammo was her sniper rifle which had been very rarely used and she'd left it with their group.

They carefully approached the exterior door; there was no one standing in the immediate vicinity of the door but by the gate, six men stood mingling by their motor cycles. Abby curse once more, they might be able to make it to a wall unnoticed but they were eight feet high and someone would undoubtedly see them crawling over.

"What do we do?" Carol whispered in her ear.

Abby sighed, she had no idea. First thing was first, get to the wall maybe she'd get some inspiration on the way. For once the tall grass had been of benefit, it enabled them to sneak behind the cars and walk along the wall undetected until they were fortunate to find a gap in the metal wall. It was unlikely these people knew about it, it was hidden behind tall grass and a car was nearly press right up against it.

"You two first." Abby said to Carol and Maggie.

"No, you're injured! You should go first!" Maggie protested.

"I'm the one with the gun and extremely good aim. If we're noticed, I'll be able to hold them off." Abby explained quietly. "Besides, there might be more people on the other side."

They both nodded reluctantly as Abby crouched down behind a car for cover while first Carol then Maggie squeezed through the gap unnoticed. Abby carefully approached the hole looked one last time over her shoulder, then squeezed through herself. Immediately on the other side of the fence, they found themselves in a back alley. At the end, they could hear the voices of more men.

"How many are there?" Maggie asked in both annoyance and fear.

"Too many for our group to even handle, lets get out of here unnoticed." Abby said sighing.

They walked down to the opposite end of the back alley than the voices had come from, and just as they rounded the corner, excited shouting came from the auto wrecker. As they reached the end of the alley, Abby took a quick survey of the area. So far as she could tell, there was only one man watching the street and the street lead them to the edge of the forest. The man was hardly visible just the top of his head could be seen, and was facing towards the woods; obviously not expecting to be getting hostiles from within the town.

Abby took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself but it instead shot pain through her shoulder and made her queasy. She shook her head, lifted her pistol, aimed with one eye open and pulled the trigger. Miraculously, the top of the man's head exploded, even Abby was impressed with her own shot.

"Remind me to never piss you off." Maggie murmured, impressed.

Abby smirked slightly, then looked down the street to make sure no one was around and then the three of them made a mad dash for the woods. They managed to make it into the forest just as an enormous Humvee pulled onto the street, but showed no signs of seeing them. They continued to run as fast as they could in the general direction of the group, thankfully their enemy had come from the other direction and hopefully hadn't noticed their group yet.

Abby legs suddenly collapsed from underneath her, her strength suddenly spent and sent her crashing into the dirt. Maggie and Carol helped her back to her feet and did their best to help her walk, trying to not jar her shoulder. They had run far enough that their presence hadn't been detected, so they weren't worried about pursuit but they were afraid of their group being discovered, so they had to get to them as soon as possible and warn them.

Abby's legs were barely churning as they broke from the cover of the trees directly behind the department store. Maggie told Carol to warn the others and get help while she continued to drag Abby in the generally direction of the vehicles. Abby wasn't sure what was making her more lightheaded, the gunshot wound or the head injury but it frustrated her that her body wasn't doing what she wanted it too. As they rounded the corner that lead to the parking lot, Abby caught the blurry vision of Daryl and Rick running towards them just before passing out.

* * *

I tried to toughen up Carol a little, but I imagined that if Sophia had survived, that Carol probably wouldn't have changed quite so drastically so quickly. She'll get there though. R&R!

-Shockra


	17. Chapter 17

Good evening to those in North America! And good morning(?) to those on other side of the world! I hope your weekend has been going well! So what do you all think of TWD, so far? I definitely like the start of S8 better than 7! Makes me much happier to see them fighting back. You know, whenever I'm writing these chapters, I have thing I want to put into this part but when it comes to actually posting the chapters...I forget. Story of my life. I need to make a point of writing my thoughts down...anyways enjoy!

* * *

A month had passed since Abby had been injured and she had given everyone quite the scare, especially Daryl and her brother; which, ironically had unified the two like never before. She had been unconscious for three days before finally waking up. Apparently, Hershel had somehow monkeyed together a homemade system to do a blood transfusion making Rick once more become a pin cushion, this time for his sister and only once. While her head wound had been horrendous looking, she had somehow escaped without a concussion and the bullet hadn't passed through anything important but between the two injuries and their long run, she had lost a lot of blood.

Without proper nutrition, she'd been infuriatingly slow to heal, becoming a burden to the group. After a month, she was still being left behind with Lori and the kids while the others scavenged or looked for places to stay. Today, though, she was determined to not be a hindrance. Abby begged for Rick to let her join them, as they pulled up to a house in the woods with potential, and with a pained sigh, he let her go, but made her promise to stick to Daryl like glue…which she had no problem with, although she'd been short with him a lot lately.

She felt more than a little smothered with everyone asking how she was doing or if she was alright. On top of that, Daryl was like a mother goose, never being far, even doting on her…as much as their situation allowed, he was almost worse than Rick, and that was saying something. But she knew he loved her and nearly losing her, had scared him shitless. Back at King's county, that he had felt, fear had been a little unwarranted but this time he had actually nearly lost her so, she couldn't blame him. She had stepped in a trap, bashed her skull, was made a hostage, got shot and had to run for her life in less than twenty minutes. Then she lay unconscious for along time, her heart beat had been thready at first and had been sweating profusely. If the situation had been reversed, she'd been freaked out too.

Abby dutifully followed behind Daryl as he entered the house through the garage. They carefully inched their way in, checking closets and bedrooms. At one point, they heard a muffled sound of footsteps coming from the other side of a door. Daryl approached the door carefully and was about to reach for the knob when it slowly turned. Both Abby and Daryl pointed their weapons at the door as it quickly swung open but only revealed Rick.

Rick smirked slightly and nodded his head before silently turning away and continuing on his half of the house. They then went up the stairs, followed by T-Dog. At the top of the stairs, there was two bedrooms and a bathroom. T-Dog wandered off to the first bedroom and Abby was about to go look in the bathroom but Daryl grabbed her belt shook his head, then pointed to the other bedroom. Abby sighed in annoyance but she had promised to stick to Daryl like glue, so she grudgingly followed him to the door and waited for him to open it.

In side, it looked like it belonged to an old lady. Old pictures lined the wall, a vase of dried out roses sat on a desk and on the back of the chair sat an owl. There was an open window behind it, that must have been where it had come in from. Daryl took aimed and put an arrow through it.

"Poor owl." She mumbled. Daryl looked at her surprised. "What? Owls are cute, it just seems like a shame."

"Most people find rabbits an' squirrels cute too." Daryl said as he walked over and picked up his kill.

"I ain't complainin' just sayin'." She said as she poked around a little.

As he walked by, she tugged on his arm so he'd stop. When he stopped she smiled up at him and he returned the smile before bending down giving her a kiss before leaving the room. He started pulling feathers as he walked, leaving a trail of bread crumbs as he went. When they made it to the bottom of the steps, Maggie and Glenn had moved the only two walkers that had been in the house, near the front door as the others walked in side.

Everyone silently moved into what had once been the living room. T-Dog and Rick stared out the windows, watching for the seemingly ever-present herd of walkers. Abby sat close beside Daryl, leaning on his leg with her forearm as he focused on plucking the feathers from the owl. Carl trotted into the room with two cans in hand, at first Abby didn't pay much attention to what he was doing, just silently watching Daryl's hands as they plucked the feathers but suddenly Rick walked across the room and picked up the can Carl had opened. He looked at it as he walked back towards where he'd been standing then suddenly hurled the can hard into the fireplace.

"Rick!" She hissed at him, annoyed, earning the stink eye as he turned back to the window.

"Psst." T-Dog hissed getting their attention then nodding towards the window, revealing a herd had found them.

Everyone grabbed something and they all hauled ass out the back door, running to their waiting vehicles. Daryl seemed a little surprised when she followed him to his bike and stood up again so she could climb behind him. Then they waited for the others to finish throwing their things into the back of their vehicles. Abby spotted Rick momentarily glaring in their direction before climbing in to the driver seat.

They drove for about twenty minutes before Rick stopped their procession in the middle of the highway. Everyone climbed out and Carl followed his father watching him expectantly. Rick decided to start calling people by numbers and it really pissed her off but no amount of her grumbling seemed to help. They all gathered around the hood of the Hyundai as Maggie rolled out a map on it.

"We got no place left to go." Maggie stated worriedly. "When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off. We'll never make it south."

Daryl looked at Hershel, as Abby stood beside him. "What'd you say? That was about one hundred and fifty head?"

"That was last week." Glenn reminded them. "It could be twice that now."

"The river could have delayed them." Hershel reasoned as he pointed to a spot on the map. "If we move fast, we might have a shot to tear right through there." He continued as he indicated a path.

"Yeah but if this group join with that one," T-Dog said indicating two spots on the map. "They could spill out this way. So, we're blocked."

Rick finally decided to join the discussion. "The only thing to do is double back at 27 and swing towards Greenville."

"Yeah we picked through that already." T-Dog said rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. "It's like we spent the winter going in circles."

"I agree, we're already hard on supplies." Abby said nodding.

"Yeah, I know. I know. At Newnan, we'll push west. Haven't been through there yet." Rick said trying to clarify his intention. "We can't keep going from house to house. Need to find a place to hole up for a couple weeks."

Everyone looked at Lori sitting in the Suburban, staring into the woods. Then they all started dispersing at once.

"Alright. It cool if we stop by the creek before we head out? Won't take long." T-Dog asked Rick as he rolled up the map. "We got to fill up on water. We can boil it later."

Abby walked back to where Lori sat waiting and leaned against the door frame. "How're doin'?" She asked.

Lori shrugged. "As well as can be expected considering our circumstance. Do we have a plan?"

"Sort of, 'bout the same as always. They're gonna grab some water, you feel like stretchin' yer legs?" Abby asked.

While they were hardly best friends, Abby and Lori had managed to iron out their differences. Lori seemed grateful for her support and would bring anything she needed to her or Carol, but Abby in particular if it was something she thought Rick would get annoyed with; which was pretty much everything the last couple of months. Abby looked over to where she saw Rick and Daryl were talking. She saw Daryl bent over to prime his crossbow and the two of them started for the woods. Abby trotted over to them but Rick stopped and looked back at her.

"Keep an eye on everyone, we won't be long." He said firmly before continuing to follow Daryl into the woods.

Abby sighed, annoyed at being left behind again. She walked over to where Carl kept watch and rubbed his neck briefly.

"How's it going kiddo?" She asked as she looked out into the street and surrounding woods.

"Hungry but I'm fine otherwise." He said never once looking at her.

Abby was worried about her nephew, he was starting to get cold. Where once, he had childlike worship of her, he now approached her with a coldness that was disturbing. He still looked to her when he needed comfort, since he was angry with his mother but even at that, he was doing less and less. She knew he to loved her but he seemed to be slowly shutting his emotions down.

"Your dad and Daryl went huntin', hopefully they'll find something. Maybe a deer…a deer would be great!" Abby said hopefully.

"Do you miss Uncle Martin?" He asked suddenly. "Because it doesn't seem like you do."

Abby looked at him shocked. "Of course, I miss him!"

"But you're with Daryl now, and you seem so happy when you're around him!" Carl said frowning.

Abby sighed a considered what to say for a moment. "I miss him, really I do but he had become more of a friend than a husband. We wouldn't have stay married long. Daryl, does make me happy and I love him. Love is funny that way, if finds you when you're not looking. It also doesn't limit itself to a certain amount of people. Like how I love you, your dad, your mom and everyone else here.

"I miss my parents, desperately, I wish I could see them everyday but they'd want me to be happy and not wallow on my loss, the same with Martin. We just have to move on."

Carl finally looked at her. "I don't really remember them, Grandma and Grandpa. Is that bad?"

"You were just a baby when they died, its not surprising." She said.

"Did your parents love each other?" Carl asked.

The question made Abby very sad, she knew he was thinking of his own unhappy parents. "Yes, very much so. Your daddy is very much like his father. That coolness under pressure, that's one hundred percent a Grimes characteristic. I'm probably a little more like my mother, aggressive and short tempered."

Finally, Carl smirked at her. "You and Dad look a lot a like, I think most people would peg you as siblings without being told. I mean, you both got the exact same eye colour and curly dark hair…well yours is much long but you know what I mean. Even your faces are similar, your face is just softer…I guess." Carl suddenly blushed.

Abby chuckled. "Yeah, sometimes people would ask us if we were twins, when we both reached the twenty-year mark."

"Do you think the baby and I will look a like?" He asked.

"Well, it'll have blue eyes and dark hair since both your parents do. Beyond that, its anyone's guess but it could. Are you looking forward to being a big brother?" She asked him.

"Sort of. I'm a little scared of what it'll be like for it, being born into this…stuff." He looked at her worriedly. "What are we going to do? It'll cry and be hungry all the time!"

Abby pulled her nephew into a tight hug. "We'll do everything we can for the baby, I'm sure we'll find a safe place eventually!" Carl momentarily hugged her tightly, burying his face in her chest. Then stepped back and wiped his face with his sleeve.

"I'll do everything I can to protect it, like dad does for you." He said then turned back to the road and scanned for any signs of walkers or other danger.

Abby left him then and went back to where Lori waited, climbing into the driver side door. They sat there for almost half an hour in silence, before Rick and Daryl emerged from the woods with no food but deep in conversation. Rick looked around, saw her in the car and waved her over. She hopped out once more and approached them where they continued talking.

"What you two geniuses talkin' about so deeply?" She asked as she walked up.

"We found this place, a prison. There's a bunch of walkers but I think we can try and take it." Rick said, nearly sounding excited.

"How many?" Abby asked trying to not get her hopes up.

"Hard to tell." Daryl responded this time. "There's several fenced off areas, we might be able to take it section by section but if we can take it, we'll be golden as far as a roof over our head. Lori can have a place to have that baby."

"Your rifle by far has the most ammo, I don't have a plan yet but I want you to do as much of the shooting as possible. Get it ready, I'm going to talk to the rest." Rick then turned and headed to where the majority of their group gathered.

Abby walked to the back of the Suburban with Daryl trailing behind her slowly. When she glanced over her shoulder at him, she caught him watching her ass and smirked at her when he saw her noticing. She smirked back as she walked to the back of the vehicle and opened the hatch. She pulled out her rifle, did a quick check over it while sitting on the bumper while Daryl leaned against the frame, watching her.

That was how they tend to spend time together now days, just silently enjoying the others company, almost no touching just lust filled looks. They did talk about random stuff the odd time they were actually a lone but Daryl didn't much like sharing his life with the others, that was something he shared solely with her. She understood why, from the few things he _had_ shared with her, tend to be painful to listen too let alone having lived through. He was ashamed of his past, with how he was brought up and how he was treated both as an adult and a child.

Part of her didn't understand why he wasn't bitter or angry with Merle. He was in some ways almost as bad as their father, only now Daryl could and would fight back. When he was a child, he was never around when Daryl needed him most. Like when Daryl had found out their mother dead, after she'd accidently burned down their house with her in it or one the many times that Merle could have stepped in to protect Daryl from their father but didn't. At the same time, she got why he still cared. He was his brother, no matter how shitty of one he had been.

This time, when they drove off, Abby climbed into the truck with T-Dog and Beth with her huge rifle in her lap, having grabbed both boxes of ammo. They followed as first Daryl, then the Suburban pulled off the road and worked their way through the woods until they came to a large creek that was in between them and prison.

They all followed after Rick as he trotted over a bridge that was partially hidden by the tall grass, then up to the fence. Glenn and Maggie took down a walker while Rick quickly cut the fence and once the slit was big enough, everyone slipped through before Glenn and Daryl tied it back shut again.

"Abigail, get up in this tower, start clearing them." Rick said pointing to the tower they were closest to.

Abby turned and trotted back to the tower opened the door and ran up the stairs taking three at a time then quickly scaled the ladder. By the time she was in at the top, the others had made it to the first gate and were discussing their plan. Abby laid down on her stomach and started taking aim at the walkers nearest to the gate. She had already taken out six walkers by the time Daryl and Carol climbed up into the tower with her.

"What's happening?" Abby mumbled as she focused on another walker and fired.

Daryl walked up beside where she lay and waved in the direction of the gate. "There's an open gate on the other side of that tower. Rick's gonna run over there and close it while Maggie, Beth, Glenn and T-Dog distract 'em walkers an' kill 'em while Hershel and Carl are in the other tower shoot the bastards when we need too while Lori, Amy and Sophia are gonna shoot what they can from the ground. Rick still wants you to do most of the shootin', though."

Abby zoomed out so she could get a bigger picture. "Call out the nearest ones to Rick, I only have a limited sight with my eye to the scope."

"Right." Daryl agreed as he put his crossbow to his shoulder.

For the most part, none really got to close to him to pose a real threat until he reached the gate and lost sight of him. She took twisted pleasure of shooting a walker that he'd taken aim at and shooting it before he did, after the third one he looked over his shoulder smirking slightly as he trotted forward.

She focused on any walker that walker anywhere near the tower and finally saw him open the door and run inside. Abby sighed in relief as she watched the door close. By this time, she'd taken out a dozen walkers but there was still at least another dozen remaining the yard, possibly more. Daryl whistled loudly, then shouted. "Light it up!"

When all was said and done, she'd take out close to twenty walkers. As she stood up Daryl smiled at her crookedly, something he almost never did.

"Nice shootin'." He said appreciatively.

"Yeah I don't think you missed once!" Carol agreed as she walked to the hatch.

Abby approached the hatch as Carol disappeared down it. Daryl grabbed her ass hard, just before she bent over and smiled at her wickedly. She winked at him then stepped on to the first ladder wrung and climbed down. The others met them at the gate and they all congratulated each other at their first victory.

Carl ran up to Abby. "Auntie, you _have_ to teach me how to shoot like that!"

Abby grinned at him and smacked the brim of his hat down. "I dunno kiddo, I don't know if you could handle a larger rifle yet."

"Oh, come on!" Carl complained, disappointed.

Abby wrapped her arm around his shoulder and guided him to the gate. "I didn't say 'no' either, we'll see."

Carl trotted to catch up with the others who were whooping and hollering in delight, while Daryl walked up and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together and earning a huge smile from Abby. Once they all settled down, a handful went and brought the vehicles back. Much to Abby's delight, Daryl let her drive his motorcycle into the prison while him and Hershel headed out to trying hunting once more. Maggie, Beth and Glenn went out and gathered wood for a fire, while T-Dog and Carol collected water from the creek. Abby helped the others pull out the bedding as the sun quickly began fading behind the horizon.

Daryl and Hershel had managed to catch two rabbits and five squirrels, the most he'd found in one day in a long time. That was a good sign, it meant things were starting to come out of hibernation which meant spring was now in full swing. Everyone sat around the fire, munching on the small amount of meat, talking intermittently. Considering the silence that had plagued the group over the last couple of weeks, it was nice to hear the conversation; most of which sounded hopeful.

Abby grabbed what was left of the food and walked over to where Daryl paced the top of the bus that'd been knocked onto its side. She ripped the small chunky in half, after climbing to the top of the bus and handed it to Daryl.

"You know, hunter should have first dibs." She said as he took it from her.

Daryl shrugged. "They needed it more. Yer shoulder hurtin'? That thing has one hell of a kick."

Abby laughed. "I used to be accustomed to it but I've barely shot that thing in the last year."

Daryl indicated for her to turn around as he put his food down, then gave her an amazing shoulder rub which he eventually moved to her neck then down her back. Abby sighed happily as he continued up to her shoulders again, then his hands came away and was replaced with a kiss.

"Better?" He asked. "Your shoulder with the bullet wound is quite tight."

"Well then you're just gonna have give me more massages!" She said smiling at him. "Get yer fine as to that fire, its freezing up here."

She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before climbing down once more and went to where Rick paced a long the fence. He saw her coming and met her half way. She handed him the bowl and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked back to the fire together. As they walked into the fire light Rick crouched down and Beth started singing a song. From just in the shadows, she saw Daryl roll his eyes but even he had to admit, Beth had a good voice. When Beth paused, Maggie started singing and the two started singing together. Abby smiled at the sisters while Hershel complimented them.

Finally, Rick said, "We should all turn in. I'll take over watch. Got a big day tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Glenn asked softly.

"Look, I know we are all exhausted. This was _a great_ win." He stressed. "But we've got to push a little more." He paused for a moment. "Most of the walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners. Looks like this place fell pretty early. It could mean the supplies are intact. They'd have an infirmary, a commissary."

"An armoury?" Daryl asked.

"That'd be outside the prison itself but not to far away. Warden's office would have info on the location. Weapons, food, medicine. This place could be a _gold mine_!" Rick emphasised.

"We're dangerously low on ammo." Hershel said. "We'd run out before we made a dent, even with Abigail's skills."

"That's why we have to go in there." Rick said confidently. "Hand to hand. After all we've been through, we can handle it, I know it." Rick looked down at Carl who was lying on his stomach beside him. "These assholes don't stand a chance." He said to him light-heartedly.

Rick nodded his head then stood up and walked off, surprisingly Lori stood up and followed after him. Daryl sat down by the fire, pulling his bag closer to him and laying against it. Abby walked over to him and plunked down beside him, leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she settled in beside him. She finally put her head against his neck and closed her eyes, ignoring the whispered argument not far behind them.

The next morning, they all stood by the gate that lead to the prisons main building. Initially Rick had tried to put Abby on the outside with the lesser fighters, worried that her shoulder couldn't handle the stress but Abby's insistence and Daryl supporting her, won out.

"Ready?" Rick asked, then opened the gate.

T-Dog quickly stepped through, followed by Glenn, Rick, Maggie, Abby and Daryl. They moved in a tight circle, killing walkers as the moved while the others banged on the fence trying to draw as many away from them as possible to make killing easy.

"Don't break rank!" Rick called as T-Dog suddenly lunged forward.

"We need that." He said as he picked up a riot shield.

A walker lunged at T-Dog but Maggie was on top of it, killing it before it got T-Dog. They quickly reformed, then moved towards a door. It was sitting a jar and Rick quickly poked his head in, saw nothing and moved on. He suddenly cursed and pressed himself against the wall, Abby peeked around the corner and saw a smaller area packed with walkers.

Two walkers in full riot gear walked out from behind a large garbage bin but as Daryl took aim with his crossbow, two more walkers popped out much closer and also in full riot gear. Daryl shot on immediately but the bolt just bounced off of the face protector. Rick and T-Dog rushed the nearest riot gear clad walkers while Maggie was confronted by a walker who'd been missed in the room they'd just checked.

Abby made a rush decision to help with the riot clad walkers. She quickly side stepped around the nearest one, the one T-Dog was bashing at, and executed a quick submission hold that brought the walker down as she cranked its head back, exposing its neck and giving T-Dog the chance to thrust his weapon up under it chin into its brain.

"Daryl!" Rick called as be tackled his walker and rushed forward.

Daryl rushed forward and after Rick killed one more walker, they managed to close the gate. Daryl turned, shoved the walker's head forward, who'd been tackled to the ground and had gotten up to walk towards Abby and shoved his blade into its neck. Meanwhile, Maggie figured out how to lift the walkers head using the face protector without doing Abby's fancy submission move. T-Dog and Glenn followed suit taking out the two remaining walkers in riot gear while Rick knocked the last walker to the ground pulled off the gas mask, taking the skin of its face with it and plunged his blade into its skull.

They quickly surveyed the area making sure no other walkers were hiding. Daryl pointed out that one of the dead walkers was a civilian which spiralled into speculation. Rick decided to push further into the prison; to one side was a walk way on the opposite side of the gate they'd just closed, that led in side the prison.

Rick and Daryl took the lead, with Daryl putting his knife away and pulling out his crossbow once more. When they reached the door, Daryl stood to one side ready to pull open the door, while Rick stood in front of it. He nodded to Daryl and Daryl rolled the door open. They all inched their way in side, stepping lightly as to not attract more attention than necessary. They eventually walked down three steps into a room that held a couple of tables, likely a visitation area or the commons area and a big glass office that was up a flight of stairs, over looking the room. On both sides of the room, there was two barred doors, one that led into a cell block and the other into darkness.

Daryl and Abby did a thorough sweep of the room while Rick went to the stairs that led up to the office. When Rick came down, he had a set of keys in hand and he went straight to the cell block doors. They all waited behind Rick as he unlocked the door as quietly as possible. It was Daryl who was the first through the door, when they entered, while Rick looked in every cell as they went by, pointing out a walker to Maggie while Abby followed Daryl up the steps to check the cells on the second level. Rick joined them just as they reached the top of the steps and the three paused when a loud clang came from further down the line of cells. Rick and Daryl went to investigate the sound, while Abby checked the two remaining cells at the end, finding nothing.

"We're clear." Rick said after he'd killed the walker locked in its cell.

Rick decided they had tempted fate enough for one day and quickly assigned them duties to clear out the cellblock, then grab the few supplies they had. Within half an hour the few walkers that been within the cellblocks walls had been carried outside while they moved in. Everyone went about selecting their rooms but Daryl grumbled the entire way as Abby dragged him to a cell, though it was the furthest from everyone else and on the second level.

His grumbling quickly stopped as she pushed him down on the narrow bed and climbed on top of him and started kissing and grinding against him. She stopped momentarily as she reached down into a pocket of her pack and pulled out a condom waved it in his face, then put a finger to her lips making a shushing gesture. She scooted back, unbuckled his pants while he squeezed his eyes shut. Ten minutes later they pulled their clothing back into their appropriate places and cuddled up to each other.

"Still have problems with sleeping in a cell?" She asked sleepily.

"Still don't like it but the positives sure out weigh the negatives." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you." He said hugging her tightly.

The next morning, everyone went through the supplies that the guards had on them. They hadn't found a lot but what they did find would be helpful. The found three suits of body armour which T-Dog, Glenn and Maggie took, three pistols with a handful of ammo, baton and some helmets, along with the riot shield T-Dog had used the day before.

Rick assembled their little 'strike team' that would go further into prison. It was basically the same as those who'd entered the interior fence: T-Dog, Rick, Abby, Daryl, Maggie and Glenn but Hershel decided to join the party this time. At first Rick was going to let Carl accompany them but one look at Lori as she watched them, he decided to make him stay back. Rick had his son pegged, initially Carl had been upset but when Rick made him sound like the last line of defense, he was willing to stay back.

Abby gave Carl a quick hug and walked by Rick as he stared up Lori for a moment, then followed after her. Carl locked the door behind them as they headed for the second door, where Daryl waited with the others. He opened the door and let the others through before closing the door and locking it behind them with the set they'd found on one of the guards. Rick took point, leading them slowly down the hall while Abby took the rear guard.

Abby was happy that Rick had decided to make Carl stay back, walking down the halls was like walking through one of those haunted houses at Fairs, only the dead bodies and skeletons were real, and anything that could jump out at you could actually kill you. As they went around a corner, Glenn would spray paint an arrow on the wall indicating the direction of the exit, in case the had to make a hasty retreat.

As he made one particular arrow, he turned around at the same time as Maggie, bumping into each other causing her to shriek which in turn startled the rest of the group. Once everyone recovered from their mini heart attack, they continued on checking each individual cell as they went, only finding more and more dead bodies. Some were being eaten by the plethora of rats that stocked the halls, others had obviously been consumed by a large pack of walkers. What was most unnerving, was that they had yet to find one.

And then it happened, as Rick rounded a corner, he encountered the pack of walkers. Abby quickly took point as they tried to get a way, but it was like the gates of hell had suddenly been thrown open. Every turn she went around, there was a pack of walkers. The next thing she knew she was following Daryl as he ducked behind a pair of double doors. Abby looked around and noticed they were missing people, so did Rick.

"Where's Glenn and Maggie?" He asked.

"We have to go back." Hershel stated.

"But which way?" Daryl asked.

They all looked at each other, then Rick stood up and they all followed him out. The herd must have passed them by, because there was not one walker in sight as they stepped out of the room. They quietly crept down the hall calling their names as softly as possible. Abby suddenly saw Hershel turn back and made as 'psst' sound to get the others attention, then turned and followed Hershel.

Hershel called out Maggie's name as he went but when he stepped over what everyone had thought was a dead corpse, it grabbed him and bit his leg. Abby lunged forward and plunged her hunting knife into the walker's skull, killing it. Rick knelt down beside Hershel and looked at his leg as Maggie and Glenn appeared from around a corner.

"No!" Maggie cried in anguish.

Rick and T-Dog lifted Hershel while Rick called, "Daryl! Abigail!"

The two of them took point together as walkers came back, attracted by Hershel's cries of pain. They tried to go the way they had been heading but were blocked by walkers when they tried to go the way they'd come, forcing them down the only remaining direction. The hallway ended in a dead end with a set of double doors that had been locked by a pair of handcuffs. Rick quickly cut the chain with his hatchet and they bashed their way into the room as Daryl and Abby slammed the doors shut.

T-Dog shoved his harpoon in between the handle bars, relieving Abby from trying to hold it shut as he indicated for her to help Rick and the others. Rick started pulling off his belt and ordered the others to hold Hershel down. Daryl joined them, by far the strongest in the group, despite T-Dog's larger size, and helped hold Hershel down while Rick strapped his belt around Hershel's leg.

"Only one way to keep him a live." Rick said before he took his hatchet and started swinging at Hershel's leg.

It took nearly a dozen swings before Rick managed to get the leg off, Hershel having passed out after the second swing. When Rick stood up, he looked like he was about to be sick as the gravity of what he'd just done set in. Rick swallowed whatever was coming up and knelt down once more.

"He's bleeding out." Rick stated.

Suddenly movement caught Daryl's eye, "Duck." He mumbled as he then stood up and aimed his crossbow with Abby popping up beside him with her pistol.

"Holy shit!" One of their sudden new visitors exclaimed, revealing them to be humans not walkers.

But it didn't make Abby or Daryl feel any better, as all five of them were clad in prisoner's uniforms. Abby and Daryl held out their weapons on the five men, watching them carefully.

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl asked.

"Who the hell are you?" One of them asked in return.

"Why don't come on out of there?" Daryl growled at them as both him and Abby stepped in between the inmates and their friends. "Slow and steady."

"What happened to him?" Asked the tall long-haired man, Abby instantly didn't like nor trust him.

Daryl tensed. "He got bit."

"Bit?" He asked sounding confused, as he stepped forward and reached into his waist band, causing T-Dog to raise his pistol also.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy now." Daryl growled as the same man pointed a pistol and waved it between the three.

"Think it through ass hole, two pistols and a crossbow pointed at you. You and yer friends will be dead by the time you fire off one shot." Abby growled also.

"Do you have medical supplies?" Glenn asked breezing by the inmates, too distracted by Hershel's condition to care about the one man with a gun.

They looked shocked at Glenn disregarding them. "Whoa, where do you think you are going?" One of them asked but Glenn had already disappeared into the other room.

The inmates flinched when a walker started banging on the doors again. "Who the hell are those people anyways?" The inmate with the gun asked.

"Don't look like no rescue team." Said another inmate.

"If it's a rescue team you're waiting for, don't." Rick said as him, Maggie and Glenn helped lift Hershel on to a metal cart that Glenn had found in the other room. "Come on, we gotta go."

Once they'd helped Hershel on the cart Glenn yelled "T, the door!"

"Are you crazy!?" The one inmate asked in exasperation. "Don't open that!"

"We got this." Rick said assuring them as T-Dog walked to the door and pulled the harpoon he'd used to bar the door.

Abby and Daryl kept their weapons trained on the inmates, while the door was pushed open as the walker shambled in and walked straight for T-Dog. T-Dog tackled it and grabbed the walker, who was a prison guard in riot gear, by his mask and shoved the harpoon up under its chin into its brain. Rick, Maggie and Glenn quickly rolled Hershel out the door as T-Dog stepped back from the now dead walker.

"Daryl! Abby!" Rick called as they exited.

"You first." Abby mumbled to Daryl.

He didn't look happy but he slowly backed up a few feet, then Abby followed and the two of them stepped out of the room together. Glenn initially led them down the halls but when he made a wrong turn, Daryl ended up in the lead. Abby let them pass her and took up rear guard once more, as they rushed through the halls. After another turn, Daryl ended up in the back with Abby and they both looked back as they saw shadows following them.

Daryl tapped Rick on the shoulder. "Look."

"Follow the flashlights!" One of the inmates said further down the hall.

"Come on, go, go, go!" Daryl ordered as the group came into view.

The rushed to the end of the hall and Daryl went to the front again and unlocked the door then they all rushed in as Carl hurriedly unlocked the interior door. They rushed Hershel into his room while, T-Dog, Daryl and Abby waited for the inmates to catch up. The three of them fanned out and waited for the approaching footsteps, giving Daryl time to prep his crossbow to shoot again. Slowly the inmates stepped into the light, looking around the room cautiously, probably expecting a bunch of prison guards.

"That's far enough." Daryl ordered them.

"Cell four…that's mine gringo." The inmate, that Abby assumed was their leader, said. "Let me in."

"Today's your lucky day, fellas." Daryl said coolly while staring down the sights he had scored during their eight-month adventure. "You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia. You're free to go."

"What you got going on it there?" The lead inmate asked.

"It ain't none of your concern." Daryl growled dangerously. Daryl seemed content in dealing with the inmates and Abby was okay with that, she probably wouldn't be so patient with them.

"Don't be telling me what's my concern." The lead inmate said as he pulled out his pistol once more and T-Dog, Daryl and Abby all tensed, making themselves more threatening.

"Chill man." Another inmate said. "Dude's leg is messed up. Besides, we're free now. Why are we still in here?"

"The man has a point." One of the inmates agreed.

"Yeah, and I gotta check on my old lady." Another put in.

"A group of civilians breaks _in_ to a prison, you got no business being in…got me thinking there ain't no place for us to go." The leader said.

"Why don't you go find out." Daryl ground out.

"Maybe we'll just be going now." The blonde one said.

"Hey, we ain't leaving!" The leader said.

"Well you ain't coming in either." T-Dog said stepping close to the one with a gun.

Through out the full conversation, Abby had been slowly inching her way closer to the prisoners and when the man with the gun turned fully on T-Dog; Abby quickly stepped up grabbed him by the neck, placing him in a choke hold and knocking him to the ground, and slamming his hand on the ground, knocking it out his hand. Daryl quickly stepped it forward and kicked it away from the inmates, as Abby released the man and rolled away before he could even respond. All the inmates stared at her dumbly, as she attacked their fellow inmate and in a blink of the eye, she was standing and poised with her pistol pointed at them once more as Rick came rushing in.

"There ain't no need for this!" Rick said as he picked the dropped pistol off the ground.

"How many of you are there?" One of the inmates asked.

"We could easily overwhelm you." Rick answered.

"What did you do? Rob a bank?" The man asked from the ground, then got up glaring at Abby. "Why don't you just bring that man to a hospital?"

The four of them looked at each other incredulously. "How long have you been in there?" Rick asked in dismay.

The leader thought about it then answered. "Going on, like, ten months."

"A riot broke out." The biggest inmate started. "Never saw anything like it.

"Attica on speed man." The shortest of the five said. "Heard about dudes going cannibal, dying, coming back to life?"

"Crazy." The leader said.

"Crazy." Rick agreed.

"One guard looked out for us, locked us up in the cafeteria." He continued. "Told us to sit tight, threw me that piece, said he'd be right back."

"Yeah and that was two hundred and ninety-two days ago." The biggest inmate said.

"Ninety-four according to my calculat…" The blonde started but got interrupted by the inmate's leader.

"Shut up!" He growled.

"We were thinking that the Army or the National guard should be showing up any day now." The blonde inmate said continued.

"Well a single Marine, a cop and group of civilians is all you got." Abby sneered.

"There is no army." Rick added.

"What do you mean?" The leader asked.

"There's no government, no hospitals, no police." Rick explained. "Its all gone."

"For real?" The blonde asked.

"Serious." Rick confirmed.

"What about my moms?" The big inmates asked.

"My kids? And my old lady? Yo, you got a cellphone or something that we can call our families?" Another inmate asked.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Rick asked then continued. "No phones, no computers. As far as we can see, at least half the population has been wiped out. Probably more."

The inmates all stared at Rick in horror and disbelief. "Ain't no way." The leader stated.

"See for yourself." Rick said pointing for the door.

They all shuffled slowly for the door keeping an eye on the four of them, then finally turned and walked up the steps, down the short hall and slid the door open. The four of them followed the inmates out the door and watched as they walked numbly passed all the dead bodies that still littered the ground.

"You can't possibly trust these guys?" Abby whispered into Rick's ear.

"Of course not!" He whispered back. "They were put here for a reason but they deserved to know."

"You never said how you got in here in the first place?" One of the inmates asked.

"Cut a hole in the fence by the guard tower over there." Daryl answered indicating where they'd come in.

"That easy, huh?"

"Where there's a will, there's a way." Daryl said simply.

Rick turned to Abby, while Daryl continued talking the inmates. "Abigail, go in side check on everything. I left Glenn to take care of Hershel if he…." Rick paused then continued. "He's say he can but I'm not so sure. If he can't, I don't want Hershel killing my family."

Abby sighed, slightly annoyed. "Fine, I'll go check on the situation. I'll be watching you from the window though, so if they do stupid shit, I'll take care of them."

Rick nodded. "That's fine but they're unarmed now, we'll be fine. Go."

Abby turned and trotted up the steps, back into the prison then walked over to where Carl stood guard. "Where's dad and the others?" He asked as he unlocked the door for her.

"Still talkin' with those inmates. Looks like its just you, me and Glenn holdin' down the fort, kiddo. How's it goin'?" She asked as she stepped inside.

Carl shrugged as he locked the door once more. "They said the bleeding has slowed down, still alive." She gave him a quick one-armed hug, ruffled Sophia's hair as she stood beside Carl, keeping him company.

Abby poked her head into the full cell. Maggie and Beth leaned against the sink watching their father worriedly while Lori knelt by Hershel's head and Carol held a towel to what was left of his leg as Glenn and Amy stood near the entrance of the cell. She didn't bother to ask how things were going, it was evident.

Glenn nodded at her, acknowledging her presence, then went back to staring at Hershel's deathly still form. She back away again and went to her cell to grab her rifle, then walked to the window but as she looked out the window, she saw no one. She heard the exterior door slide door open then so she trotted down the steps and up to the door that separated the rooms. When Rick saw her, he motioned her to stay and walked over to the door.

"We've made a deal with these men. We take half their food and we'll clear a cell block for them." He told her.

"You sure that's such a good idea? I mean we could just take it from them, we have the guns and man power." Abby suggested. "I don't know if I like the idea of five inmates living near us."

"We're still civilized." Rick said firmly to which Abby shook her head. "Daryl, T-Dog an' I will take care of the exchange, you stay here and keep everyone safe."

"Stop coddling me, Rick!" She growled quietly.

"I ain't coddling you!" Rick whispered back annoyed. "If somethin' happens to me, I know you can look after everyone and keep them safe."

Abby was still annoyed but nodded ascent. She watched as the eight men disappeared further into the prison.

* * *

So we're getting close to the end of the first...book...block, whatever. I need to get my rear in gear with the second one. I am about half done but I'd hoped to be mostly done by the time I'd finished posting this one. Don't worry, I'll get 'er done, I always do...it just takes me a while sometimes.

-Shockra


	18. Chapter 18

Hello! How are all my readers? So there is only two more chapters after this one, then I'll be done the first chunk of my story. The second part is called When Shit Hits the Fan but it's only about halfway done, so in the meantime I may post my no walker story...or I may not. It's very nearly done just got to figure the ending. It isn't nearly so long as my present piece or the second part but its fun...to me anyways.

Without further adieu, here's the next chapter!

* * *

Abby was lounging in her bunk when Sophia stepped into her cell, looking worried as she looked down at her shoes. Earlier in the day, Rick, Daryl and T-Dog had returned with the food from the cafeteria. When it had all been brought into their cell block, they handed over melee weapons to the inmates Axel, Big Tiny, Oscar, Tomas and Andrew, so that they could defend themselves as they cleared a second cell block for them. It hand been an hour since they'd left and Abby had opted to try and read to distract herself while she waited for them to return.

"Um, Abby." Sophia started bashfully.

"What is it sweetie?" Abby asked as she sat up and put the book down.

"Its Carl…he left." Sophia finally said.

Abby frowned. "What do you mean he left?"

"He was talking about wanting to help Hershel, about wanting to find the infirmary. He asked me not to tell you but I don't want anything bad to happen to him." She hugged her doll tightly and looked at the ground as she spoke.

Abby tilted her head up. "You did the right thing, honey." After kissing the top of her head Abby checked her pistol then trotted down the steps and stuck her head into Hershel's cell where almost everyone still held a vigil over him. She grabbed Glenn's shoulder. "Can I talk to you a moment?" She asked Glenn quietly.

Glenn nodded and stepped out of the cell. "What is it?" He asked her.

"Carl's taken off into the tombs by himself. I'm gonna go after him." Abby stated quietly.

"He did what?" Glenn asked shocked.

"I know, I need to find him. Can you handle this?" She asked him.

"Yeah of course." Glenn replied confidently.

"Don't say anything to Lori..." Glenn made a pained face. "Just until we get back, I'll tell her what he did then, okay? No need to make her worry."

With a sigh, Glenn nodded. Thankfully, Rick had found a third set of keys in the tombs on their trip to the cafeteria, so she could get out of the room and follow after her nephew. Abby sighed, she didn't even know where to start. She knew where the cafeteria was but that was basically it. She walked down the halls and listened carefully as she went. After a bit of walking, she heard the growling of a hungry walker, the sound of shuffling feet, then a thump and then nothing.

Abby rushed forward and went around the corner only to see the retreating back of Carl disappear around a corner. Abby trotted after him but when she rounded the corner, he wasn't there. Abby carefully scanned the walls, finding three doors lining one wall. Above one, was a sign that read: Infirmary.

She edged forward and slowly opened the door, only to get blinded by light then had a pistol pointed in her face. Abby glared at her nephew, who immediately pointed both to the ground.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" She hissed at him.

He turned and walked into the room then started rummaging around. Thankfully the infirmary had been on the exterior walls which meant they had windows and lots of natural light. "I want to help and Hershel needs gauze an' stuff. You were just sitting around, so I thought I could do it."

"Excuse me? What did you just say to me?" She hissed at him angrily.

He tried to stare at her but looked away guiltily. "I just want to help." He mumbled.

"You can't just go runnin' off in a place like this a lone! Something could happen to you and we wouldn't know until it was too late. Do you know what it'd do to your parents, to me, if we found you roaming around here as a walker?" She asked as she let the pain of the idea cross her face.

"I know how to take care of myself." He mumbled as he continued to move as he shoved gauze and other items into a duffel bag that he'd found.

"So can Hershel! Shit happens sometimes! You can handle a couple of walkers but what if you get cornered by a pack of them?" Abby stressed.

Carl finally stopped. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

Abby let out a long, slow exhale. "What's done is done. Next time, come ask me or your daddy, okay?" Carl nodded his head. "Let's go back."

When they got back, Carl got reamed out again and not just by his mother but by Beth who didn't like how he was speaking to his mother. He stormed off to be a lone for a while. Abby watched while Carol properly wrapped Hershel's stub then stood up and looked at Abby and Glenn.

"Can I get your help with something?" She asked them.

"Both of us?" Glenn asked.

"Yes, it's important." Carol stressed.

"But Rick..." Glenn started.

"You can handle this, can't you?" Carol asked Maggie.

"It's okay." Maggie replied giving Glenn a meaningful look.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Abby finally said supporting Carol. "If its important, I'll help."

Glenn sighed. "Alright."

The two of them followed Carol as she walked outside then into the yard past the interior fence. As they walked, she explained that she wanted to find a female walker so she could learn to do a C-section without potentially harming the baby. She had wanted Abby there because she had some Medic training from her time in the Marine's but it didn't cover delivering babies. It made sense to both of them, still Glenn had a hard time wrapping his head around what she was wanting. When he finally got over it, they walked along the exterior fence until Carol saw what she wanted.

Once they'd gotten he walker within the fence, Glenn went back to the prison while Abby and Carol knelt beside the dead walker. Carol slowly lifted the walkers dress until its abdomen was exposed. Abby pointed out where she'd need to cut then Carol took her knife and hovered over the spot for several minutes. When they were finally done for the day, Abby and Carol walked back to the prison to find Rick, T-Dog and Daryl back without the prisoners.

"So, how'd it go?" Abby asked as she sat on one of the tables.

"Could have been better." T-Dog said dryly, as he stretched, then winced in pain.

"One them bastards tried to kill Rick while we were in the middle of dealin' with walkers." Daryl grumbled as he walked over to her and pecked her on the cheek.

"What?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Rick said tersely. "He got dealt with. Only two out of the five are still a live."

"We don't know for sure that the one is actually dead. Maybe he got out." Daryl reminded Rick.

"He'd be one lucky bastard if he got out." Rick said dismissing the suggestion.

"Rick, I was thinkin', I know we've got a lot of food an' stuff but Lori's 'bout to pop. I think a couple of us should run into a town or something and see if we can find some necessities. You know like diapers, a crib, that sort of thing. Maybe we can find the type of medical supplies that a prison infirmary wouldn't have." Abby said.

"That's a good idea. With Hershel in his present state, maybe we can find some painkillers an' maybe some antibiotics." Daryl agreed.

Rick thought for a moment. "Fine but don't go to far or take to long! Its only a few hours to sunset, so be back before it goes down!" He said firmly. "Just you two though, I need everyone else here."

"Roger that!" Abby trotted to her room, grabbed her pack, emptied most of its contents then grabbed her rifle before meeting Daryl who waited for her by the door.

Together they went to the truck and climbed inside before driving it down to the gate. Abby quickly jumped out, opened the first gate and then the second. Once they closed the gates, Abby jumped back in the truck and they sped off down the road. As they drove, Daryl recounted what they'd been through. It really pissed Abby off that she hadn't been there, although happy that she had been able to look after Carl. Apparently while they had both been gone, Hershel's heart had briefly stopped but Lori had done CPR and managed to revive him.

Abby suddenly shouted stop, but Daryl had already slammed on the brakes as he'd seen the same thing at the same time. They looked at each other then back out of the passenger side window.

"Do you think they're friendly?" Daryl asked as bent closer, squinting as he looked out the window.

"Haven't opened fire on us yet." Abby said also staring.

"How many do you think there are?" Daryl asked bending forward further to try and look at them better.

"I count six, I see dog tags." Abby said. "I'm getting out, stay here."

"Babe." Daryl started.

"I'll be fine." She looked back at him and kissed him.

She slowly opened the door, putting her hands out of the window and slowly moved around the door. She kept her hands up, using her boot to close the door, and slowly walked forward until she was within shouting distance. In front of her sat three vehicles: a military Humvee, a military-style flat deck truck that was used for transporting vehicles and a military truck.

"Halt!" One man called, probably the man in charge. "Identify yourself!"

"I'm a friendly, Gunnery Sergeant Abby King." She called back wincing. She hated using her married name, she'd been using her maiden name lately. "I'm gonna pull out my dog tags." Abby reached down, and slowly pulled out her dog tags for underneath her shirt with her thumb so that they were visible.

"I want your friend out where I can see him!" The man called again.

Abby looked over her shoulder and nodded at Daryl. He put the truck in park but left it idling, then followed her lead and put his hands out the window and slowly stepped out before walking around the front of the truck and stopping beside her. The six moved as a unit forward, until they were within nine feet of them. The man who appeared to be in charge, indicated to one of the others, who stepped forward and looked at her dog tags. He nodded back at his leader, before stepping back in formation.

"Your friend there doesn't look like military, Gunny." The man said indicating Daryl.

"That's Daryl Dixon and he isn't. I'm technically retired, I was with my family when things went down. I'm with a group of civilians now. Y'all don't look like you've been out here too long." Abby observed.

The man in charge indicated for his men to stand down. "We haven't been, we've been at Fort Benning until a couple days ago."

Daryl and Abby looked at each other shocked. "Fort Benning? Did it fall just recently?"

"Yeah, it's a long story but we were good up until recently. Have you seen a chopper? We're missing it and four men. They went out yesterday but we got a mayday midday, haven't heard from them since." The man asked.

Abby shook her head. "No, we haven't. You people have a place to stay?"

"Abby!" Daryl growled. "We can't just take in people, especially six to ten heavily armed men."

"You have community?" The leader asked.

"Of sorts. We just found it, but if we can clear it out, it should be defensible…from walkers anyways." Abby replied nodding. "What're y'all's names?"

"I'm Corporal Derrick Bradley. These boys are Private's Danny White, Gabriel Wilson and Andy Smith, then Private First Class Duncan Morrison and Lance Corporal Jacob Miller." Bradley introduced. "Look Ma'am, if you got a safe place to live, then we'll do whatever you want us to, to get us there. If you have a bunch of civilians, then they need protection. We can do that."

"They don't need as much protectin' as you might think." Daryl said looking all of the men cautiously. "Been survivin' without a roof over our heads for the better part of eight months. We got guns and weapons of our own."

"He's right, we don't _need_ protection but extra muscle will help. Tell you what, you said you're waitin' on some of yer own. How about we take you where you can meet up with the leader of our group, while two of yer guys and that flat deck wait here. I'll go with you and Daryl will get our leader."

"No!" Daryl said immediately. "I ain't leavin' you with these people! They could be like all those other psycho's we've run into!"

Abby sighed. "It'll be fine, we'll meet where we last camped before we found home."

Daryl stared at her a long moment, then growled out. "Fine. Rick's gonna freak."

"This is acceptable to us, we have radios so we can keep in touch. Alright boys, pack up." Bradley ordered.

Daryl grabbed her arm and walked her back with him to the truck. "You sure about this?"

"Look at them, Daryl." Abby replied. "They don't have that look, the one that says that they've been out here survivin'. They look like the way people used too, you know too trustin'. I'll be fine."

Daryl sighed nodding his head in irritation. He kissed her forehead then walked around the truck and climbed inside. She watched him turn around and speed down the highway. After a brief pause, she turned and walked back to the group of men.

"We should be packed up in five minutes, ma'am." Bradley said as she walked up. "You can ride in the Humvee."

She waited for them to pack up, then climbed into the back of the Humvee. Corporal Bradley and Private Smith sat in the front seat while Private First Class Morrison and Private Wilson rode in the other vehicle. Abby gave them instructions on how to get where they needed to go and once there, they quickly cleared the area then settled in for waiting.

"So how long have you been with these people, ma'am?" Asked Smith.

"Since the beginning." Abby answered. "A few got added along the way and others have died but the ones who're here now have been together for nearly nine months. Was it all military personnel at the base or was there civilians there too?"

"We had a few but most arrived within the first couple days of the initial infection." Bradley answered. He then went into the story of how the base had fallen. Abby frowned slightly, she didn't really like that they had abandoned their post, but at the same time, she couldn't blame them.

Less than an hour later, Rick and Daryl drove up. Rick looked pissed as he climbed out of the truck and saw Abby but seemed willing to talk. "I'm Rick Grimes." He said introducing himself. "Daryl here says my sister offered you a place amongst us if I approved."

Bradley glanced at Abby, probably because of the little bit of information that Rick had given. "Yes sir. We have guns and a bit of ammunition, a little bit of medical supplies. I understand that you're cautious, but we can help protect your people, it's what we've been trained to do. Sergeant King, here, outranks any of us and we're pretty much hardwired to automatically take orders from a superior office, we don't want to hurt no body. Just to survive, like you."

Rick put his hands on his hips and inspected the four men carefully, then looked down for a moment, thinking. "Alright fine, but I'm in charge here. You might be able to take order from Abigail but she takes orders from me, remember that."

"Yes sir." The four of them answered in unison.

"Alright. Abigail, in the truck. You boys just follow us, we'll lead you to our home." Rick instructed.

Daryl eyed her and Rick cautiously, as they walked back to the truck then, when they arrived, opted to sit in the back seat, probably for safety's sake. To his credit, Rick didn't ream her out the second the doors closed but waited until they were on the road before scowling at her.

"I'm sorry!" Abby said putting up her hands. "It's not like I planned it, we just happened to see them as we were driving."

"You didn't need to offer them a place amongst us!" He said angrily.

"I never promised them anything, nor did I tell 'em anything!" She retorted with equal anger. "I said it all depends what you say! I ain't stupid you know and I'd never do anything to put the others in danger!"

"I didn't exactly try an' stop her either." Daryl put in.

"Trust me, I'm angry with you too!" Rick growled as he looked over his shoulder. "You left her there! With six heavily armed men!"

"Because I told him too and, unlike you, he trusts me!" She said venomously.

Rick glared at Abby then looked over his shoulder at Daryl. "You're too susceptible to what she says! This ain't the first time you've done something stupid because of something she said."

"Hey, I gotta brain in my head an' she don't control the thoughts that are in it." Daryl growled.

"It certainly doesn't seem that way!" Rick growled back.

"Enough!" Abby shouted. "Don't be bringing our relationship into our argument. Look, I'm sorry I worried you but I had to do something immediately. By the time I returned to ask you if it was okay, then go back to where we'd last seen them, they coulda been gone."

"We need walkies or something." Daryl grumbled. "The ones with batteries."

"Now that's a good idea." Rick exclaimed, rubbing his left temple.

The rest of the ride was quiet but also tense. As they rolled up to the prison, Carl and Glenn met them at the gates and pulled it open so they could roll through without stopping. Everyone piled out of the three vehicles and they all followed Rick into the prison. After making the introduction's, the four soldiers spread out and claimed their own cells.

Apparently, while Abby and Daryl had been gone, Hershel had woken up and had even spoken with Rick before he left, and his daughter's. He seemed strong enough now, that everyone felt confident that he was going to pull through, which made Abby happy, he had gotten very close with Rick and Abby both and she quite literally owed him her life.

As the evening wore on, the soldiers seemed to implement themselves quite easily into the group, as they helped start clearing the walker's bodies from the yard. Abby was happy to have them around, they understood her better than most of the members of the group did and Daryl seemed a little stand offish about that.

As they hunkered down for the night, Abby confronted him about his behavior. "Babe, are you mad at me?" She asked as they laid down together.

"What makes you think that?" He asked as he pulled the blanket up.

"You hardly spoke to me or anyone since we got back. You've seemed a little…cranky." She laid on her side, her head propped up on her elbow.

Daryl sighed. "I ain't mad. I just…I don't know what it is."

Abby stroked his face and studied him. "Do you not like those men we brought in?"

Daryl shook his head. "That ain't it, either. I mean I don't trust them but I don't know 'em well enough to say I don't like them."

Abby frowned. "Are you jealous? I mean, I know I interact with them differently than I do with everyone else." Abby studied his face. "That's it, isn't it?" Daryl shifted out from under her and rolled away so that his back faced her. Abby kissed his bare bicep, "You ain't got nothing to worry about, nothing can change us but us."

Daryl looked back at her, then rolled on to his other side to face her. "Why are you so different with them? I mean you're _completely_ different with them. You've always been badass and strong in my books but you're…I don't know, _different_ with them, more confident, more in control."

Abby stroked his face again. "I guess that's because they remind me of when I was in the Marine's. I mean I used to be the one in charge, handing out orders, organizing things. Working with a bunch of tough guys, I had to be even tougher to keep up with them, earn their respect. It ain't easy bein' a woman in charge in the military. Ever since I retired, I've just been Rick's baby sister who used to be in the military. These guys remind me that I used to _be_ somebody."

"I don't see you that way, I might not see you as that Sergeant but I try and see you for what you are. To me you are somebody, you're my world now." Daryl responded sincerely.

Abby smiled then kissed him on the nose. "You're my world too. No one or no thing could change that."

"Except maybe our kid." Daryl said smirking.

Abby laughed quietly. "No, you'd still be my world, it'd just have someone else in it."

Daryl studied her for a moment then sat up on an elbow and looked down at her. "You want one of yer own, don't you?"

"Yes, for a while now." She admitted.

"Do you want one with me?" Daryl asked blushing slightly.

"Absolutely. You'd be a great dad." She said softly, smiling at him fondly.

"Then would you marry me?" He asked his cheeks turning crimson.

"Daryl Dixon, are you proposing to me?" She asked

"N-not exactly." Daryl murmured as he looked away.

She turned his face to make him look at her again. "Well if you did propose to me properly, I'd probably say yes."

Daryl smiled at her bashfully before bending down and kissing her passionately.

The next morning, Abby and the four soldier's piled into the Humvee to drive to what had been Abby and Daryl's original destination. Along the way, Corporal Bradley insisted they stop and check up on the two they'd left to wait for the remainder of their unit. As they came into view of the fenced in field, they all stared at it in shock as it had no vehicle and two dead bodies.

Bradley drove onto the field and stopped abruptly where the two dead bodies lay. The other three were about to climbed out as well but Abby ordered them to stay in the vehicle, having a bad feeling about the whole situation. She climbed out of the Humvee and carefully surveyed the surrounding trees for hostiles. She couldn't see anyone but that didn't mean there wasn't anyone out there.

"We need to go, Bradley. Something smells fishy here." She hissed at him.

"They were gunned down. At close range." Bradley said angrily as he inspected the soldiers. "They took their weapons."

"Look, those bastards could still be out there." Abby growled at him. "There could be only a few or they could be a lot but I don't want wait around to find out."

"We're not leaving them!" Bradley growled back.

"Fine." She said as she walked to the legs of the nearest body.

Bradley grabbed the man, Private White, by the armpits while Abby grabbed his ankles. They walked awkwardly to the back of the Humvee and hoisted the man into the back. As Bradley walked to the other man, Abby quickly checked for a head wound and when she didn't see one, she stuck her knife into his ear. She quickly trotted around to the other man, Lance Corporal Miller, and once again grabbed the man's ankles.

Even as she walked she could see the man had been shot in the head, so after they threw him into the back of the Humvee, she climbed back inside the Humvee. Since they'd already been out for several hours and now had dead bodies in the back of the vehicle, Abby decided to abort the mission and just go back to the prison. Bradley, on the other hand, wanted to drive around and try to find those who'd killed his two men, something that Abby thought was a very bad idea plus would cost them valuable fuel.

To make the man and his remaining men happy, she let them drive around for a couple of hours; though if Rick found out they just drove around for a few hours, he'd be _very_ unhappy. When they found nothing, Abby ordered them to turn back and promised they could do more of a thorough look on foot the following morning. She had thought to offer Daryl's service's but didn't think he nor Rick would appreciate it without passing it by either of them.

Abby frowned as they rolled down the road towards the prison. "What the heck is that sound?" She asked.

Bradley frowned. "Sounds like an alarm of some sort." He paused and listened some more. "Sounds like its coming from the prison."

Abby floored it, worried that something terrible was happening back at the prison. When she rolled to a stop in front of the prison, no one greeted them. Bradley quickly jumped out of the vehicle pulled the gate open, then closed it behind her as she rolled in, then he opened the second gate and closed it, once more. Once he had stepped up on to the running boards and grabbed hold of the exterior handle, she tore up the short distance to the prison, then came to an abrupt halt outside interior gate. Abby could see Amy, Hershel and Beth within one of the caged entrances, waving at them frantically as all five of them piled out of the vehicle. Abby ran over to where the three stood, while the alarm still blared inside the building.

"What happened?" Abby asked as she looked at the fresh walkers that littered the ground around them.

"Glenn said that someone had cut the chains, that's how the walkers got in. I saw Carl, Lori and Maggie go into the cell block." Beth answered as pointed to the other door. "I think T-Dog, Sophia and Carol went the other way. Rick, Glenn and Daryl went looking for them and for the source of the alarm, the other prisoners are supposed to be helping them."

Abby turned back to the four men who stood, waiting for her orders. "Alright, Smith and Wilson; stay here protect them and make sure no more walkers come into here. We might have an intruder so keep an eye out for one, if you see some one you don't recognize, apprehend them. If you can't detain them, then shoot to kill. Bradley and Morrison, on my six."

Abby led them into the cell block, then into the tombs. They had only rounded the second corner, when they came face to face with Carl pointing pistol at them. Abby's brain had a hard time registering what she was seeing. She could see the devastation in Carl's eyes and could hear the quiet cries of the baby clutched in Maggie's arm but there was not Lori.

Carl rushed forward as Abby quickly slung her weapon over her shoulder before grabbing Carl and lifting him up. He wrapped his legs around her waist and buried his head into her shoulder while hugging her tightly. Abby waved Maggie forward and Bradley automatically took point while Morrison took up the rear as they made their way back to the cell block. Throughout the short journey, Carl didn't cry just silently clung to his aunty.

When they made it outside, Abby sighed in relief when she saw Rick, Daryl and Glenn talking to Hershel, Amy and Beth. He turned when he heard the door opened and watched them blankly as Maggie walked down the steps first with the baby in her arms while Abby continued to carry Carl. When she reached the bottom step, she put Carl down and he silently moved forward beside Maggie. As Rick walked over, you could see he was finally registering what had happened as he dropped the axe he was carrying and shook his head. Maggie started to sob as Rick started pacing.

"Where…where is she? Where is she?" He asked his face alternating between grief and anger.

Rick walked passed Maggie and then Abby. Abby grabbed his arm and he stopped, then looked at his son as he cried out "Oh, no. No!" Abby tried to pull him in to a hug and he hugged her back briefly before he pushed her away, grabbing his head and pacing while he continued to cry. "No!" Suddenly Rick collapsed on to the ground and rolled on to his back as he cried.

Abby looked between Rick and Carl, then walked over to Carl and hugged the boy tightly as Rick continued to break down. Abby's heart was breaking and she wanted to break down too, she knew how it felt to be in Rick's shoes but he had a son and now a daughter, she couldn't afford to breakdown. She needed to be there for all three of them.

Daryl walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her worriedly. "I'm fine." She whispered softly as she touched his face briefly.

Carl pulled out of her arms and walked over to were Maggie sadly stared down at the baby. Abby joined him, then held out her arms for the baby, which Maggie carefully put the new born into her waiting arms. Abby looked down at the bloody face of the baby and notice the it was in fact a girl.

"You have a little sister." She said softly to Carl. "Just like your daddy and me."

Carl just nodded his head numbly as he continued to stare at the baby. Eventually Rick stopped sobbing and got onto his knees and just stared blankly into space. Daryl waved his hand in front of Rick's face and called his name but Rick didn't reply.

"Let me see the baby." Hershel ordered.

"What are we going to feed it?" Daryl automatically asked, changing his focus as Abby walked over to Hershel. "We got anything a baby can eat?"

Hershel looked the baby over for a moment. "Good news is, she looks healthy." He started. "But she needs formula and soon or she won't survive."

"Nope. No way. Not her." Daryl said firmly. "We ain't losing nobody else. I'm going on a run."

"I'll come with." Abby said immediately handing the baby to Carl.

Daryl shook her head. "No, your family needs you right now. Your place is here."

"Please don't go, aunty." Carl said so softly she had barely heard him from where he stood right next to her.

"Daryl's right, Abigail. Your brother needs you as does your nephew." Hershel agreed. "You're also the closest thing we have to a leader right now, Rick is in no state to handle things at the moment."

"I'll back you up, Daryl." Maggie said firmly.

"Yeah me too." Glenn added.

"Okay, think where we're going. Beth." Daryl waved the girl over and said something quietly to her before him, Maggie and Glenn walked over to the vehicles.

"Uh, Ma'am. What do you want us to do?" Bradley asked, looking a little awkward.

Abby sighed and tried to force her brain into the right gear. "Walk the fence, make sure not too many pile up. We can't have the fence compromised. You two." She pointed to the two prisoners.

"We're Axel and Oscar." Axel said.

"Clear out the bodies from the cell block and than the yard. I'll give you a hand in a moment." Abby instructed.

"Rick!" Maggie suddenly called, as she had started to follow Daryl, but stopped to look back.

Abby looked back and saw Rick carrying his axe once more as he marched for the cell block door. Abby watched as he disappeared in side; her family never did handle grief well.

"Abigail." Hershel called softly, pulling her back to those around her. "You should know T is confirmed dead but we haven't seen any sign of Carol or Sophia. Daryl thinks they're dead too."

"Wait, they could still be in there?" Abby asked.

"Possibly." Hershel conceded.

Abby cursed then looked down at Carl and stroked his face. "I have to go back in there. If Sophia and Carol are still a live, I have to find them. Okay?"

Carl looked at her slightly panicked. "Do you promise you'll come back?" He asked.

"I promise, I'll come back. I have too much to live for to not come back too." She raised his hat, kissed him on the forehead and ran back to the cell block doors.

For three hours, Abby searched the halls. At one point, she came across Rick but recognized the mad look in his eyes and let him go with out harassing him, she doubted he even noticed her. She hoped he'd get it out of his system quickly, his son needed him and the poor kid probably couldn't handle losing another parent so soon. After a few too many close encounters, Abby finally turned back, she promised Carl she'd return alive and at the rate she was going, that might not happen. She'd return tomorrow when Daryl was back and they'd go looking together. Maybe Rick would accidently find her.

When she came back to the cell block, she found nearly everyone in side and found the baby crying. Abby took her from Carl and tried to sooth the poor hungry baby. Someone must've cleaned her up, as she no longer had blood all over her but she still lacked clothes so they had swaddled her tightly in a blanket.

After about another hour, Daryl and Maggie came rushing into the room. Maggie called for Beth while Daryl walked over to Abby and to her surprise, he reached out and took the baby from her. Abby smiled as the baby's cries softened slightly as Daryl started rocking her back and forth.

"She likes you." Abby said softly.

Beth came over with a now full bottle and Daryl took it from her then gently popped it into the baby's mouth, then smiled when she stopped crying and started suckling. Even Carl smiled slightly. Daryl looked up at Carl after a moment.

"She got a name yet?" Daryl asked softly.

"Not yet." Carl answered. "I thought of a few things…but I don't know."

They all watched silently for a moment while Daryl continued to feed the baby. "You like that, huh?" Daryl cooed finally. "Little ass-kicker." Daryl smirked and looked around. "Right? That's a good name, right?"

Everyone smiled at him, all probably amused by this big gruff red neck, being such a good nurse maid to the cute little baby girl in his arms, crooning to her softly. Abby had seen his softer side, before but she was pretty sure that none of the others had ever seen the sweet side of Daryl Dixon before.

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I hope it was to your satisfaction! I have really enjoyed writing this piece so far and I hope it shows!

-Shockra


	19. Chapter 19

Hello all! Happy Belated Thanksgiving to my American followers! Hope you stuffed yourselves full of turkey and enjoyed the company of family! So after this chapter, there is only one more chapter for this part of the story. After that I'll either start part 2 or post the non-walker story, neither of which is finished...we'll see. I originally have about another 1000 words at the end of this but it didn't seem to flow so it ended up in the beginning of the next chapter...it's still a long chapter so, it's all good. Enjoy.

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The next morning, Abby was out on rounds with Bradley, inspecting the fence when Glenn came running across the field to her. "Rick came back!" He told her when he stopped. "He went back into the tombs but he seemed more…in control, almost himself. Said he wanted to check on Carl, asked about a few things, then left."

"That's it?" Abby asked. "Did he even look at the baby?"

Glenn shook his head. "No. He didn't even bat an eye when we mentioned going for formula. I offered to clear the bodies for him but he vehemently refused. Almost like he didn't want us down there."

Abby sighed and looked over at Bradley. "It's fine ma'am, I can handle this." Bradley said with a nod.

Abby nodded and walked back to the cell block, alone. She walked inside, then over to the door that led further into the prison but as she reached to pull the door open, Hershel called out to her.

"Abigail, wait." He said as he limped his way over to her. "You shouldn't go talk to him yet."

"Why not? He's my brother, he needs me right now." She said slightly distressed.

"I know you want to take care of him but he needs to work through this on his own." Hershel said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I tried to work through my PTSD on my own and that only made things worse, Rick needs someone. He needs _me_." She replied, worry plain on her face.

"No, you're too close to this, you have your own grief to work through. I'll keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't hurt himself but you need to take care of Carl and the baby. Let Daryl take control of the running things, I know what I said yesterday but you need time to heal also." Hershel said softly.

Daryl stepped around the corner. "He's right, Abby. You need to take a step back. I can handle things, you should look after your family." He said continuing to grab her arm and gently pushing her away from the door.

"You know you fall in that category too; family." Abby said, making Daryl smile slightly. "Besides, that's what I'm trying to do. Look after my brother."

"And he needs you to look after his kids and yerself." Daryl pointed out. "You and Carl are the most important things to him. Remember how much you wanted space when Martin died? Rick, needs that too."

Abby sighed. "I…guess, if you both think its right."

"We do." Hershel said firmly. "I've lost two wives, I know how Rick is feeling. I promise, I'll keep an eye on him."

"Alright, fine. _Thank_ you." Abby said sincerely.

Glenn had trotted through the room while they were talking and now walked back with Maggie towards the door. "We're leaving now." He called as they exited.

"Be careful!" Abby called after them.

"Gonna gather two of your solider boys up and Oscar, gonna go into the tombs and clear 'em." Daryl said, turning away. She took a step forward but Daryl held his finger up. "No, you ain't comin'. What did you just say?"

Hershel chuckled as he limped off towards the cells, while Abby crossed her arms. "Fine."

"Hey, can I come?" Carl asked as he passed Hershel.

Daryl looked back at her and shrugged, he didn't mind. Abby winced as she thought, then sighed. "Fine, but you stick to Daryl like glue, alright?"

Carl nodded his head solemnly and went back to his cell to gather more ammunition. "Don't worry, I'll look after him." Daryl said rubbing her shoulder. "I'll talk to him." Abby cocked an eyebrow, surprised he'd do that. "I know what it's like to lose a mother at a young age, maybe he'll talk to me."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, babe. That's thoughtful of you. I guess I'll be playing house in the meantime."

Daryl tipped her chin up and kissed her. "I hardly think you'll be playing much house. You still have Beth and Amy to look after that sort of thing."

He turned and went outside to gather up people to help him while Abby went to check on her niece. She found the baby sleeping in Amy's arms while Amy and Beth chatted happily together. Abby walked over to them and reached out for her niece, Amy smiled at her as she handed the baby over to Abby. Abby took a seat on the steps while the two girls chatted about school, boys and their different upbringing. For once the reminiscing about the past didn't bother her.

Just as it rolled on to supper, Carl, Axel, Morrison and Smith emerged from the tombs without Daryl. Abby frowned. "Where's Daryl?" She asked them.

"He's fine, ma'am." Morrison answered.

"We killed a walker with Carol's knife in it." Carl said sadly as he sat down at the table that Abby was sitting at. "Daryl told us to go back, he kinda looked up set."

"Did you clear it out down there?" Abby asked.

"Yes ma'am." Smith answered as he sat down beside Carl.

Abby checked her pistol, then walked for the door. "Abigail, I'm sure Daryl is fine." Hershel called after her but she continued on anyway. Daryl hadn't handle losing Carol and Sophia too well, he tried to not talk about it too much with her last night, wanting to focus more on her but she could see what he wasn't saying. Carol and Daryl had become good friends over the last eight months and out of anyone, Carol understood what it was like for him growing up.

She went to where they had cleared all the walkers out and slowly walked through the halls, in case any had been missed. As she walked, she heard careful shuffling footsteps and she didn't know what to make of them. They weren't the typical sounds of a walker and if Daryl was trying to be quiet, you didn't normally hear him. Abby carefully rounded the corner and paused, then sighed in relief. Daryl stared at her fully alert but when he saw it was her, he immediately relaxed. In his arms, he held a barely conscious Carol with Sophia stumbling along behind him, clutching his belt.

Abby rushed forward and picked up Sophia, who gladly wrapped her arms around Abby's neck and the four of them walked the rest of the way out of the tombs together. When they made it back to the cell block, only Smith and Morrison remained inside. They got to their feet when they saw Daryl and Abby carrying people and rushed forward to help.

"Get some food and water for them." Abby ordered as she and Daryl rushed to Carol and Sophia's cell. Daryl put Carol down in the bottom bunk, then took Sophia from Abby and lifted her up onto the top bunk. Morrison came in with two plates of food and two bottles of water, which Abby took and handed one set to Daryl as he sat on the edge of the mattress with Carol while Abby lifted the other plate and handed it too Sophia. She sipped tentatively from the bottle of water then dug into the plate of food with her fingers, not bothering with the utensils.

Daryl was carefully spooning food into Carol's mouth, when Abby heard Rick's voice as well as several of the others coming commons area. Abby and Daryl looked at each other and frowned. Abby looked at Morrison who lingered in the doorway, "Watch over them, we'll be right back."

Abby and Daryl left the cell and together, then walked out into where the tables sat. Rick knelt beside a woman on the ground, his foot on a sword while Hershel, Carl, Amy and Beth watched on. Daryl put a hand on her back.

"Who the hell is this?" He asked Rick.

"You wanna tell us your name?" Rick asked the woman as she sat up on her elbows. "You wanna tell us your name?" He repeated again.

When she didn't respond, Daryl half turned back to the cells. "Y'all wanna come in here." He said indicating the cells.

Rick stood up. "Everything all right?" He asked studying the two them.

Abby smiled, while Daryl replied. "You're gonna wanna see this."

Rick looked over at the others. "Go ahead. Carl, get the bag." Then looked back at the woman who now sat up, while the others filed passed Daryl into the where the cells were. Rick held up the sword, a Japanese katana. "We'll keep this safe and sound. The doors are all locked here. You'll be safe and sound and we can treat that." He said indicating the wound in her thigh.

"I didn't ask for your help." She growled at him.

"Doesn't matter." Rick said then turned to join the others. "Can't let you leave."

Daryl locked the door and they all followed Rick to end, where Daryl indicated for him to go in and there, Rick stopped and stared in shock. "Oh, god." He breathed, then stepped forward as Carol managed to stand up and let him hug her. When he let go of her, she moved towards to the rest of the group while Rick hugged Sophia and helped her off her bunk.

Carol's eyes teared up when she saw the baby in Beth's arms, looked back at Rick then covered her mouth as she realized that Lori wasn't alive, from the look that came into Rick's eyes. Abby sighed and walked away from the scene to go back over to where the woman had gotten up and was observing them.

"Are you okay?" Abby asked the woman but she just stared at her cautiously.

"I'm Abby Grimes, that was my brother Rick you met. We've just been through hell these last couple of days, all because of a stranger. So, like you, he's cautious of someone new." Abby said as she studied the woman.

"Military, huh." The woman said, indicating the dog tags hanging around her neck.

"Yeah, there are five of us now, who were in the military." Abby answered then asked. "What's your name?"

The woman studied her a moment, then finally answered. "Michonne. What happened?"

Abby sighed and looked back over her shoulder as Carol reached for the baby as she recounted what happened to her. "We found some prisoners trapped in the prison. Five of them. Two of them tried to kill my brother, one got killed by walker and two now live with us. One of the ones who tried to kill my brother, got away. A day later he started up the generators which made a bunch alarms go off, opened a bunch of gates that let walkers into the prison, which basically lead to the death of two of our people. One of them being my brother's wife, that new born baby's mom."

"I'm sorry." Michonne said looking down.

"Why are you here?" Abby asked as Rick came up behind her.

"Good question." He said unlocking the door and stepping inside, followed by Daryl and Hershel. Abby didn't like his tone, so she followed the three men inside the room, Daryl locking the door behind him. "And you're gonna have to tell us how you found us and why were you carrying formula."

Hershel handed her a white cloth, Michonne took it and pressed it too her thigh as she sat down at the table, glaring at Rick. Rick took an aggressive step forward but Abby put a hand on his chest and gave him a warning look.

"Let me handle this." She said firmly, then turned back to Michonne. "You have to understand that we are just trying to protect ourselves. It's not everyday someone shows up on your doorstep with supplies for a baby. You have to admit it's a little suspicious."

Michonne sighed. "The supplies were dropped by some young Asian guy with a pretty girl."

Hershel looked at Michonne suddenly concerned. "What happened?" Rick asked.

"Were they attacked?" Hershel asked.

"They were taken." Michonne stated.

"Taken? By who?" Rick asked.

"By the same son of a bitch who shot me." Michonne stated.

Rick started getting irritated by Michonne's vague answers, so Abby took his shoulder and forced him back, earning her a glare from him. Abby looked back at Michonne.

"What happened? The people you saw, the ones who were taken, were our people." Abby said as she knelt down in front of Michonne.

Michonne studied Abby then the men behind her. "There's this town. Woodbury. There's about seventy-five survivors, I think they were taken there."

"A whole town?" Rick asked.

"It's run by this guy who calls himself the Governor…pretty boy, charming, the Jim Jones type." Michonne answered.

"He got muscle?" Daryl asked.

"The paramilitary type. They have armed sentries on every wall." Michonne answered.

"You know a way in?" Rick asked.

"They place is secure from walkers but we could slip our way through." Michonne stated.

"Me and Bradley can take the guys." Abby said. "We're trained for these types of situations, especially me."

"You ain't leaving without me." Daryl said firmly. "Besides, you might need my tracking skills."

Rick looked back at Michonne. "How did you know we were here?"

"They mentioned a prison." Michonne answered. "Said which direction it was, that it was a straight shot."

"Why would they tell this guy that?" Abby asked frowning.

Michonne shrugged. "The Asian kid seemed to recognize him."

They all frowned and looked at each other, then Rick looked back to Michonne. "This is Hershel, the father of the girl who was taken. He'll look after you."

Then Rick, Abby and Daryl all walked back to the cells and the others all gathered around. Rick told them what Michonne had told them and then they started making a plan. Rick agreed to send Bradley and Morrison with Abby as well as Daryl and Michonne. Oscar had offered to go but Rick didn't want to send too many, and Abby managed to talk Rick into staying back with his children. They packed up weapons, flash bangs and ammo into the back of the Humvee. Just as everything was finished being packed up, Rick and Carl walked over to her.

"Carl and I have been talking." Rick said when they stopped.

"Oh? About what?" Abby asked as she leaned against the Humvee.

"About what we should name the baby." Carl answered. "Do you like Judith? Cause that's what we decided."

Abby smiled as she straightened up. "That's a great name!" She said hugging Carl.

"It was Carl's idea." Rick said as she turned and hugged him too. "Take care of yourself. Come back to me, baby girl." He whispered in her ear.

She kissed him on the cheek and stepped back. "What's wrong with Ass-kicker?" Daryl asked from behind them and everyone laughed.

"Look after my baby sister, Daryl." Rick said sincerely.

"You know I will." Daryl replied with a nod.

They all climbed into the Humvee, Daryl wanted to drive but since Bradley was accustomed to driving, she let him. Instead, they sat side by side in the back seat with Michonne beside them. After an hour drive, Michonne ordered them to pull over.

"It'll be better if we go on foot from here." Michonne said as they piled out. "They have foot patrols."

"How far?" Abby asked as she slung her sniper rifle across her back and Daryl pulled on her military backpack, loaded up with flashbangs and smoke bombs.

"A mile, maybe two." She answered.

They walked off into the forest with Bradley and Morrison in the lead Abby and Daryl in the middle and Michonne following behind them. Abby and Daryl chatted quietly with each other as they walked, about nothing special, just talking. They hadn't had a lot of time to talk over the last few days.

Suddenly Bradley made a psst, sound and indicated in front of them. Coming at them was at least a dozen walkers and another group was coming from the side, having already spotting them. Daryl raised his crossbow and fired into the nearest walker.

"Formation, no bullets. We need the ammunition and the element of surprise." Abby ordered.

Bradley, Morrison, Abby and Daryl fanned out while Michonne hung back. They each took out a walker but more kept coming, so she made the hand sign to fall back and Morrison started backing up, while Daryl turned and lead them away into the bush. They ran quickly until they came to a clearing in which a house stood in the center of. Abby rushed forward, to the door, followed immediately by Daryl and the others.

Daryl covered his nose. "The smell, its loud." He said then moved forward into the room.

"What is that?" Bradley asked, then Daryl shined his flashlight down at a dead dog.

"I guess Lassie went home." Daryl said

A twitch from the bed tucked in the cornered caught Abby's attention, so she signalled for Bradley and Morrison to check it out while Daryl held up his crossbow and Abby pulled out her pistol with its silencer attached. The two men crept forward, then Morrison bent forward and pulled the blanket off the bed, revealing a bearded man as he suddenly leapt up.

"Ah!" The man hollered, whipping out a long-barrelled shotgun. "Who are you?"

"We aren't going to hurt you!" Abby hissed making a shushing motion.

"Get out!" He called loudly.

"We can't, there are walkers outside." Daryl growled poised to attack.

"I'll call the cops!" He shouted.

"We're the military!" Abby exclaimed pointing to Bradley and Morrison who were in military fatigues.

The man paused a moment then said, "Let me see your dog tags!"

"We'll reach slowly into our shirts and pull them out." Abby said and the three of them slowly used their thumbs to pull out their dog tags.

The man bent forward and squinted at Morrison and then Bradley's tags. When he bent forward to look at Abby's, she shoved the barrel of the shotgun up and away but the man managed to fire off a round, booming as it shattering the door behind her, before she could get it out of his grasp. Morrison tried to grab the man but he slipped away from him and ran for the door. He stepped around Michonne, only to be run through by her blade.

Everyone stared at her in shock, momentarily, only to be brought back to the present as walkers banged fervently against the door. Daryl walked up to the door and looked outside.

Daryl looked back at Abby. "Remember the Alamo?" He asked her. She nodded and bent over the now dead man. Daryl looked over at Michonne, "Help me with the door." He said then walked over to Abby and the dead man. They hoisted the dead man up on to his feet.

"This don't feel right, ma'am." Morrison said frowning.

"He's already dead." Daryl said as they moved forward. "Check the back."

Morrison and Bradley both walked to the back and looked outside, they signalled that it was clear. So, Abby and Daryl nodded to Michonne who pulled the door open and then they shoved the dead man out of the door. The walkers immediately grabbed the corpse as they closed the door behind him. Daryl quietly locked the door before they made their way to the back door and slipped by the feasting herd, unnoticed and continued on their way.

It was dark out by the time they made it to Woodbury's fence, so sneaking right up to it was a breeze. The town's residents were smart enough to have spotlights to shine into the darkness but there were far too many blind spots that even with the spot light, they couldn't cover. They followed Michonne, as they edged passed several cars and eventually into the bush, to where there was a break in the fence wide enough for all five of them to squeeze through. Michonne then lead them through some of the towns back alleys to where she had been taken, when she had been nabbed. As they entered the building it was completely dark, so they carefully edged their way in side, careful not to make a sound. Once they entered the building, they found not a single soul in side.

"Are sure this is where you were taken?" Abby asked in a hushed tone, as Daryl quietly crept to the front window and peered out.

Michonne nodded, "This is where I was taken."

"Looks more like a medical clinic in here." Bradley observed.

"My friend was sick, so I guess that makes sense." Michonne frowned as she looked at Bradley. "Were there more of you? Maybe a helicopter?"

Bradley and Morrison looked at each other in shock. "Why do you ask?" Bradley asked carefully.

"I saw a helicopter go down, that's how I met these people. We both went to investigate." Michonne explained.

"What happened to the crew?" Morrison asked, suddenly very upset.

"At least two were dead when I arrived, then these people showed up. I saw them shoot the one guy, they claimed he had turned and they brought one back here." Michonne answered.

"One of our men is here?" Bradley asked cautiously.

Michonne shook her head. "No, they claimed he died of his injuries."

"Shit." Bradley cursed as he put his hand to his head. "First our flight crew goes missing, then Miller and White get gun down waiting for them, then we hear this?"

"Hey, Corporal. I know it sucks, trust me I've seen members of my own unit die before but you need to focus. This is a rescue mission, I can't have you distracted." Abby said coolly, using her commanding officer voice.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm focused." Bradley replied straightening up.

Abby looked at Morrison. "I'm good to go, ma'am." He said immediately.

"I hate break up your little pow-wow but we got a problem." Daryl said indicating outside.

Abby walked up to where he was looking, and glanced out the window. Outside, at least a dozen people were wandering around, most of them looked like unarmed civilians. Abby frowned looked back at Michonne as Daryl asked.

"I thought you said there was curfew?" Daryl asked annoyed.

"The street is packed during the day." Michonne said with some hostility. "Those are just stragglers."

"We should move on, we won't get anywhere standing around here." Abby said moving to the back door.

"We could try his apartment." Michonne suggested.

"Yeah? What if they ain't?" Daryl asked starting to follow Abby.

"We'll look somewhere else." Michonne said simply

Daryl grabbed Abby's elbow and pulled her out of earshot of Michonne. "I don't like this. It's the blind leading the blind."

"What do you want us to do? Abandon Glenn and Maggie?" Abby asked him frowning.

"No, its just…what if they don't have 'em? This could be a trap." Daryl suggested.

Abby studied Michonne for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I…" She started but was interrupted by a knock on the door, then jangling of keys as someone tried to find the correct key for the door. Everyone rushed to the back of the room to hide as the door opened and in stepped a man.

"I know you're in here!" He called after he closed the door. The man paused for a moment then stepped further into the room. "I saw you moving from outside. Alright now. You're not supposed to be in here and you know it." He said as he walked towards the back of the room. "Who's in here?"

Daryl had hidden himself behind the curtain, having slung he crossbow across his back while Abby stood behind him with her pistol drawn, and rushed forward to pin the man against a rack, his knife pressed against the man's throat, while Abby came up behind Daryl, aiming her pistol at the man's head.

"Call for help an' I cut yer tongue out an' shove it up yer ass." Daryl growled, then jerked him forward. "On yer knees!"

"Zip tie him." Abby said to Morrison, then crouched down in front of the man while Daryl continued to stand over him menacingly. "Now we ain't gonna hurt you if you co-operate, you understand?" She asked him coolly.

The man nodded his head, looking terrified.

"Where are our people?" She asked solemnly.

"I don't know, I don't know!" He said shaking, as Morrison bound his hands.

Abby put her pistol to his head. "You're holding some of our people! Where are they!?" She hissed with more venom.

"I don't know!" The man looked like he was ten seconds from pissing himself.

"Open!" She commanded the man then shoved a rag into his mouth then stood up as Daryl grabbed his crossbow and hit the man in the back of the head with the butt of his weapon.

"Now what?" Daryl asked.

Suddenly people started shouting and you could see the shadows of people running by. They all crowded around the window and stared out the window. As they stared out, they saw several men with guns were running for a specific part of the town.

"What's going on?" Bradley asked frowning. "This isn't because of us."

Abby and Daryl looked at each other and nodded. "I'm thinkin' its Glenn and Maggie."

"Shall we follow the leader?" Daryl asked cocking an eyebrow.

Abby nodded, then moved over to the door and slowly opened it. She crept out, sticking close to the building and moved for the nearest shadow. After two blocks of darting from shadow to shadow, they made a quick run across the street and followed a back alley which they had seen the small group of men run down, at the end of the alley was a door. Abby slowly opened it, peered inside and when she saw no one in sight, slid in side. She crept down the hall, hugging the wall having to momentarily ducked back once, when she saw someone around the corner, before moving forward once more.

When they came to the end of the hall and they squatted down, as a familiar voice drifted down the hall to them. Abby looked back at Daryl who was frowning as they listened. That was when they heard Maggie and Glenn, sounding fearfully. Abby finally took notice of the dead body beside the door as they heard several pairs of footsteps approaching them. Abby and Daryl both grabbed grenade's one was a flash bang, the other a smoke bomb.

The other three retreated, as Abby and Daryl stood up, pulled the pins of grenade's and threw them into the opposing room as the footsteps got ever closer. The group started coughing and gagging as Abby and Bradley rushed forward as Daryl and Morrison covered them from the wide door way. Abby grabbed the nearest hooded figure, pulling the hood off while she pulled the person away, revealing Glenn's battered face. Abby looked over her shoulder as Bradley revealed Maggie's head and propelled her towards the rest of the group as they rushed for the exit.

Morrison took the injured Glenn's arm and helped him run as they made it out onto the street and ran back the direction they had come. Daryl was now holding an assault rifle as he rushed a head of everyone, bursting through the door and silently indicating them to follow him in. Abby hurried in side and helped Morrison gently set Glenn on the ground, Maggie was immediately at his side worrying over him.

"Ain't no way back out here." Daryl grumbled.

"Abby, how did you find us?" Glenn asked through gritted teeth.

"Where's that woman?" Bradley asked peeking out of the window.

Abby frowned looking around. "She was right behind us!"

"Maybe she was spotted." Daryl suggested. "Do you want me too look for her?" Daryl asked Abby.

"No, we need to find a way out first." Abby said inspecting the street in front of them.

"Daryl, this was Merle." Glenn said looking up at Daryl, vaguely indicating his face. Daryl stopped what he was doing and looked at Glenn. "It was. This was him."

"You saw him?" Daryl asked, Abby tried to read his expression but he'd locked his emotions up tight.

"Face to face." Glenn replied confidently. "Threw a walker at me, was going to execute us."

"S-so my brother's this Governor?" Daryl asked him.

"No, it's somebody else." Maggie answered as she helped Glenn into a shirt she'd found. "Your brother is his lieutenant or something."

"Does he know I'm still with you?" Daryl asked them.

Maggie nodded as she looked up at him. "He does know."

"Abby, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was." Glenn said sorrowfully.

Abby shook her head as she knelt down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't be, I'm sure you had no choice. I'll fix this. We need to go. We have a car, a few miles out. Can you walk?"

"I'm good." Glenn said as he started getting up.

"Alright." Abby said nodding her head in approval, before going back to the window and looking out.

"If Merle's around, I need to see him." Daryl said walking up to her.

"Babe, I'm sorry but we're in hostile territory right now. Later, okay?"

"He's my brother! I can't leave him! Maybe I can work something out with them!" Daryl said shaking his head.

Abby grabbed his face and looked him in the eye. "Look at what they did to Glenn! Hunted Michonne like a dog! They don't like to talk! I promise, we'll find a way to communicate with him, get you to reconnect but now is not the time." She said to him.

Daryl sighed unhappily but nodded his head in agreement. Abby and Bradley walked over to where Morrison stood beside of the door, smoke bombs in hand. When Abby gave the signal, Morrison opened the door and the two of them hurled the smoke bombs out the door. They gave the smoke a second to rise, then they filed out the door single file and headed straight for the gate.

Immediately the men on the gate turned on them, but Abby, Morrison and Bradley made quick work of the three guards and rushed the gate. They all stopped when Daryl shouted. "Behind you!" They all turned and saw half dozen men in the street behind them firing their weapons.

"Take cover!" Abby shouted as she took cover behind a metal garbage can.

Daryl, Maggie and Glenn crammed into a door way while Morrison and Bradley took cover closer to the hostiles in an alley on either side of the street. As the smoke started to dissipate, Daryl threw another smoke grenade and the others filed out to head for the gate as the rest of them returned fire. Abby pointed to Morrison and gave him the hand signal to retreat as Daryl skidded in beside her.

Morrison, Glenn and Maggie made it the gate as Abby, Daryl and Bradley continued to lay down cover fire. Morrison hopped up on to the buses nose and helped up Glenn and then Maggie. The two climbed on to the roof and disappeared on the other side of the fence, Morrison fired a few more shots before turning to climb on to the roof only to be shot in the head.

Abby cursed then indicated for Bradley to retreat also. Abby tapped Daryl on the shoulder but he shook his head.

"Like hell I'm leavin' before you! Go!" He growled at her.

Abby sighed in annoyance but now was not the time to be arguing, so she backed up firing as she went. Bradley paused to cover her retreat but as she moved passed him, his chest exploded. Abby cursed as she bent over to pull the dog tags from his neck and did the same when she reached Morrison.

"Daryl! Come on!" Abby called.

"Just go!" Daryl called back over his shoulder.

Cursing again, she climbed on to the bus and looked back, only to see Daryl get surrounded by Woodbury's defenders. Abby cursed as she jumped down on the other side of the fence. This had to be the worse mission she led yet, out of the five people that she'd arrived with only she'd made it plus Glenn and Maggie. They ran along the fence to the woods, then paused behind a car to reload and let Glenn attempt to catch his breath.

As they knelt there, Michonne's head suddenly appeared from underneath a train car. Abby stood up angrily and pointed her gun at her. "Where the hell were you!?" She growled. "We've lost at least two men and now Daryl's been captured! We could've used you!" Abby closely inspected the now bloody woman. "I hope you got what you came for!" She said acidly.

"Look, you need my help. Whether you want to go back to the prison or back in there to get Daryl, you _need_ me." Michonne said sincerely.

Abby studied her carefully then stepped back. She turned back to where Glenn and Maggie stood. "Glenn, you can't help much. I'll give the directions and just make your way back to the Humvee." Abby dug into the bag of guns and reluctantly handed one to Michonne. "You might need this." She said then looked at Maggie. "Can you help me? I know you're tired and I can do this myself but I'd appreciate it."

"Of course!" Maggie said emphatically.

Twenty minutes later, they were back in side the town but it was virtually deserted. At one end of the town, you could hear a large group chanting for some thing. They ran to were the chanting was coming from, only to see Merle and Daryl standing in the center of a large group of people. Abby counted how man that were armed, eight men.

Abby gave each of the two women their assignments before they moved forward, again. When they got closer, Michonne and Abby threw their remaining flashbang at the lights while Maggie started firing into the crowd and at the lights, causing mass panic as people started screaming and running away. Merle and Daryl took their queue and started making their way out of the smoke. Abby grabbed her flashlight and pointed it at the two men to get their attention, after quickly attacking the man who had his crossbow, Daryl and Merle ran up to them.

Together the five of them retreated to the fence and this time, they crossed over to the other side with out being assaulted, partly because of Merle's familiarity with his surroundings. After dealing with a couple of walkers on the other side of the fence who were being attracted to the sound that was coming from within the fence, they took off for their vehicle. By the time they had made it back to the Humvee, the sun had begun to rise. Glenn had been momentarily happy to see them but when he saw Merle following behind Daryl, his happiness turned to resentment.

"What the hell is he doing here!?" Glenn asked angrily as he rushed Merle.

"Hey, you have every right to hate him but his own people just turned on him! He's Daryl brother!" Abby emphasised.

"I don't like this either!" Michonne growled as she eyed him up, like she was thinking of how best to cut his head off. "He tried to kill me!"

"Hey!" Abby yelled loudly and everyone turned to look at her in shock, as she stared everyone down. "Get over it! Shit happens. We left Merle to die. He took you hostage and tried to kill you! I blew away fifteen year-old kids! The world is a shitty place, deal with it!"

Daryl turned and looked at her. "Babe, that wasn't…"

"Not the point." Abby growled. "The point is, move on!"

"Babe?" Merle asked chuckling. "Man, look likes you've gone native, brother."

Daryl turned and looked at Merle annoyed. "No more than you hanging out with that psycho back there."

"Oh, yeah, he's a charmer." Merle said leaning against a tree. "I got to tell you that. Been putting the wood to your girlfriend, Andrea." He continued looking at Michonne.

"Andrea?" Abby asked. "As in _our_ Andrea?"

"Big time." Merle said making some perverted sounds. Then grinned and looked at his brother. "Apparently he ain't the only one."

"Wait, Andrea is in Woodbury?" Glenn asked, momentarily sidetracked.

"Right next to the Governor." Merle said with a cheeky grin.

Michonne lunged at him, pulling her sword from it's sheath. "Put that a way!" Abby commanded as she got in between Merle and Michonne. Michonne lowered her sword but didn't put it away, while Merle leaned back against a tree looking smug. Abby looked at Merle.

"Andrea is okay though, not being held against her will?" Abby asked him.

"She is now, was near death when I found 'em." Merle replied than continued, indicating Michonne. "They spent all winter snuggling up in the forest together. My Nubian Queen here, had two pet walkers. No arms, cut of their jaws, kept them in chains."

"Shut up, bro!" Daryl growled as he saw Michonne getting angry again.

"Is that why Andrea is with him, because he saved her life?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah." Merle responded. "So, what now, GI Jane? Surrounded by a bunch of thugs, liars and cowards."

"Shut up!" Glenn shouted at him, then grimaced in pain.

"Oh, man. Look at this, pathetic!" Merle said. "All these guns and no bullets in them!"

Daryl looked back at his brother. "Merle, shut up!"

Abby crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the group. "All of you shut and just get it the Humvee!" She shouted at them. Glenn glared at Merle for a moment longer, then him and Maggie climbed inside the vehicle. Michonne slowly backed away like she didn't trust Merle to not attack her, then climbed in the front passenger seat as Daryl grabbed Abby's arm, pulling her to the side.

"Abby I..." Daryl started then winced before looking down. "This isn't going to work."

Abby frowned as she looked at him. "What isn't?"

Daryl sighed. "Merle, he's gonna be a problem when we get back. Michonne wants him dead, Glenn might put up with him but he hates his guts and I don't blame him. Rick ain't all that stable, don't think he can handle him right now."

"So, what do we do?" She asked him.

Daryl winced, again. " _We_ do nothing. Him and I are going off on our own. No him, no me."

"Excuse me? I don't think I heard you right, because what I heard sounded pretty stupid." Abby replied in shock.

"Carl and the Ass-kicker just lost their mom, Rick needs you, the group needs you... I'm sorry." Daryl had his face under control but he was clearly uncomfortable as he turned and started to walk away.

"So that's it? You're just going to walk away? What _I_ need is irrelevant!? You know, it's not just me you're walking out on but everybody!" She shouted at him angrily, as Merle looked on with an amused look on his face. "Did things get to serious between us? Too real? So, now you're turning tail and running! Or is it because too many people rely on you? You're afraid of letting them down? I never thought I'd say this to you but Daryl Dixon, you are a coward!" Abby turned on her heels and stomped around to the driver side door.

"You gonna let that bitch talk to you like that!?" She heard Merle ask angrily.

"Shut it before I shut it for you!" Daryl growled aggressively. "Let's go!"

Abby climbed behind the wheel of the Humvee and slammed the door as hard as she could and cranked over the ignition. "Maybe I should drive." Michonne suggested but Abby glared daggers at her as she threw the vehicle into drive. She made a quick U-turn, driving through the ditch on the other side, then took off down the road, heading for home.

Through most of the trip back, they rode in almost complete silence. The only conversation that occurred was Michonne telling them what she'd seen when she'd parted ways with them and some of her past interactions with the Governor. When Abby finally stopped at the gate, Maggie hopped out to open and close both gates before hopping back in. When Abby came to the final stop, she shut off the vehicle, grabbed her sniper rifle and marched towards the cell block.

She opened the door with a loud bang, too angry to care about waking anyone and marched down the short hall. As she descended the stairs, she noticed Rick pointing his gun at a small group of people that she'd never seen before and Carl looking like he was in the middle of pleading with his father but both had obviously been interrupted by her loud entrance.

Abby marched over to a shocked looking Rick, reefed the colt from his hand and continued marching for the cells. "You ain't shootin' no one! And you ain't gettin' these bullets 'til _I_ get back." She said angrily as she emptied the bullets out of the gun and threw the gun over her shoulder in the direction of the pursuing footsteps. She heard him catch it, the shove it into it holster as he followed.

"Abigail, what's wrong? Where are the others?" Rick asked trying to catch up to her.

"Maggie can tell you what you want to hear." She growled as she ran up the steps to the second level.

"Where are you going?" Rick asked, still following her.

"To do what I do best." She replied as she entered the cell she shared with Daryl, or at least she used to. She grabbed what looked like a pile of green rags and a bag that clanked as she picked it up. She tried to push passed Rick, back onto the walkway when she turned to leave, but Rick wouldn't move.

"Slow down baby girl, tell me what's happening here?" Rick tried to look her in the eye but she shoved him back hard enough for him to hit the rail behind him.

She took the opportunity to exit and trotted down the steps, then went to where everyone looked around confused. Abby paused and look at the newcomers. "Are planning on hurting my people?" She asked

"No ma'am!" The big man answered. "We were just running from walkers, trying to survive."

"I don't have time right now to talk but I promise, you'll be safe here in the meantime." Abby said moving for the door.

"How do we know you won't kill us when you get back? Who says we _wanna_ stay?" The thinner man asked.

"We won't kill you and we'll talk about the rest later." Abby answered as she continued for the door, ignoring their onslaught of questions.

Rick trotted right behind her as she went outside and down the steps, onto the pavement. "Who are you killing? And why?" He asked as he followed after her.

"The Governor because he wants to wipe us off the face of the Earth. So, he's going first." Abby replied as she threw her things into the back of the half ton. "Open the gate." She growled at him as she climbed up into the truck and slammed the door shut.

Rick stared at her a moment longer then turned and trotted down to the gate. He was probably too tired to argue with her or may be decided there was no point. She rolled up to the gate, waited for him to open the prison gates before taking off down the road.

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I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Tell me which story you'd prefer me too post! If the crowd swings more one way or the other, I'll probably go with that!

-Shockra


	20. Chapter 20

Hello! I hope you're all doing good! Here is the final chapter to my little trilogy! Depending on how long the show goes or how long I'll be able to go, it might end up being more than a trilogy. Good news, I nearly have the second part written so I'll be going for a little while. I maybe posting a chapter for one of my fans here soon who had a special request. It'll be a short story, probably around five chapters but it's another Daryl/OC but not Abby. I'll post the first chapter in the next week or two but it maybe a while before I continue it. Today, if I can finish the editing, I may also post the first chapter of Part II, it's called When Shit Hits The Fan. Enjoy!

* * *

It was just pass midday when she rolled to a stop once more. She quickly dispatched three walkers that were wandering towards her, moaning in hunger. She untangled her snipers camouflage, a gift from Bradley and his men, as was the camouflage face paint. Once she dressed herself in baggy outfit, she looked in the mirror and painted her face.

Once she was satisfied, she headed off in the direction or Woodbury. In an ideal world, she could probably shoot from where she was but the town was too well hidden by woods for her to get even a glimpse of the town. So, she had to plod through the dense forest, killing or dodging walkers as she went, until the town came into view.

She knew she was dangerously close to the gate but it was the only direction she could get a direct view of the main street. She looked for the best tree to make a nest in and climbed as high up as she dared. She then settled her self in, bending branches to give her a little stability. She then peered through the scope of her rifle and watched the going on's of the town.

The town was a buzz, many of the towns citizens crowding in front of what looked like a government building. After a while, Abby got her first glimpse of Andrea. Her hair was longer now but it was definitely her. She was apparently making a speech and after a while the people seemed to calm down and a few even gave Andrea a hug.

Initially, Abby had the intention of just putting a bullet in the Governor's head but as she drove, she realized that could only make their situation worse. If she killed him like that, they would automatically assume it was her people who killed him and they might still attack. But if she could make it look like a suicide, they'd be none the wiser and maybe there was a chance to make peace with these people.

She watched their activities for the rest of the day and when the light faded, Abby climbed down from her tree, climbed out of her baggy specialty camo and slung her rifle across her back. While she had watched the town, she had carefully inspected the wall and looked for weak spots. She had managed to find the perfect place that happened to get her right behind the building that the Governor was living in. She carefully made her way around the wall, careful to not startle any wild life and draw the attention of the towns guards, as she went.

Once she was where she needed too be, she used a huge oak that had one solid limb that hung over the fence and managed to make it to the other side of the fence unnoticed. She crept up to the building, which had a back door as she now stood in a garden. She listened carefully for footsteps or voices and when she heard none, she carefully opened the door and crept inside. Michonne had told her exactly where the Governor's apartment was located, on their journey back, probably hoping she'd finish what Michonne had started.

She found her way to the apartment without having to dodge a single soul. When she got to the door, she knocked on it and stepped to the side. She heard slow, lumbering footsteps and then the door opened. When the door opened, Abby shoved her glove into the man's mouth, whom she was positive was the Governor and shoved him in side. He was so shocked by the attack that he didn't respond until she had him in a choke hold, when he finally began to thrash around. She had to wrap her legs around his, to prevent him from thrashing around as she took him to the ground and did her best to restrain him as he fought against her iron grip.

She waited for him to black out, then let go. She then struggled to lift his large form into a chair, grabbed a bottle of scotch from his cabinet and added some more into an almost empty glass. He helpfully already smelt like a distillery, so she looked around the apartment, as she planned her escape and when she was satisfied, she put his own pistol into his hand, lifted his hand with gun to his temple then pulled the trigger. She bolted to a closet occupied solely with clothing and shoved herself inside and as far back into the corner as she could, then waited. She became deathly still as she heard footsteps run up to the door, then heard it get kicked open. She heard the men curse as they entered the room and saw the Governor's dead body.

"Shit, he offed himself. What do we do now?" One man asked.

"Oh my god! What happened?" Andrea asked as she too entered the room.

"What does it look like?" The same man asked.

Abby stayed as still as possible as they continued to converse. She had hoped they would be in and out in an hour or less but as the time wore on, the sun eventually began to rise and people were still in the room. Abby did a quiet breathing exercises as she waited to distract her mind from her numbing limbs and the pain that was starting to seer into her feet, then up her legs into her back. Eventually they did remove the dead body and everyone cleared out.

She waited an extra ten minutes to make sure no one else would be coming into the room, before finally exiting the closet. She limped to the window and was shocked to find that it was already midday. She was exhausted and her body screamed at her in pain but she couldn't go home just yet. She found a note pad in the room and wrote a short letter, claiming to be Amy then folded it up, addressed it to Andrea and put it in plain sight.

She looked out the window once more, noticing that a large group of people were gathering across the street, once again around Andrea. She didn't really want to have to wait within the town walls until nightfall and their little memorial was her best bet to get out undetected.

She went to the door and listened carefully before opening the door carefully. At the opposite end of the hall a man with a machine gun was staring out into the street, watching the crowd that had gathered. Abby very quietly closed the door and silently made her way to the end of the hall, down the steps and too the back door. She looked out the glass door, to see if there was anyone outside before finally exiting the building. She made her way to the tree, jumped up for the tree limbed, pulled herself up then crossed over the fence to the other side.

Abby made her way back to where she'd left her camo, pulled it back on and climbed back up into the tree and resumed watching the town. After a couple hours, they didn't seem to be moving to make war, so she climbed back down her tree and decided to call it a day.

The sun had just begun to dip behind the horizon by the time Abby rolled up the gates. To her surprise, it was actually being manned by Carl and Sophia. When Carl saw her driving down the road, he waved at her enthusiastically and once she was within the safety of the gates, he ran over to her truck, pulled the door open and gave her a huge hug as she climbed out of the vehicle.

"We were so worried!" He exclaimed as he hugged her.

"Sorry kiddo, I didn't intend to be gone quite this long. Are you two supposed to stay on watch?" Abby asked as she stood by trucks open door.

"Mostly we were waiting for you but Merle said the Governor might attack us, so dad got Maggie, Glenn and Amy to try to build a few barriers and he's working on setting up a watch schedule." Carl replied.

"How is he doing?" Abby asked.

"Depends on the hour, sometimes he seems normal and sometimes...I don't know, it seems like he's losing it. You know, going crazy, talking to someone who isn't there." The poor kid looked so worried as he looked up at her.

Suddenly her head exploded as the other part of what Carl had said, suddenly sunk in. "Wait, before. Did you say Merle?"

Sophia suddenly smiled brightly. "Yeah! Daryl and Merle showed up a few hours ago! Momma was so happy to see Daryl!" Then she frowned. "Not so much so to see Merle, though."

"They came back?" Abby asked in shock, choking down the emotions that wanted to rise up.

"Merle thought they'd have attacked us by now, he was surprised when he found out they hadn't attacked when they first arrived." Carl answered. "For some reason dad was really pissed at Daryl when he showed up and when Glenn told him that you'd gone off back to Woodbury, dad forbade him from going after you. Told him he probably couldn't find you anyways."

"He probably wouldn't have." Abby said distractedly as she climbed back up into the truck.

When Abby finally went into the prison, pretty much everyone from their group swarmed around her, except Daryl, who hung back with his brother. He looked relieved to see her, as she walked into the room but he also seemed apprehensive, he probably didn't want to have a confrontation her with in front of everyone.

They all went into the cell block, out of sight and earshot of Tyrese and his people, then they all started peppering her with questions. Eventually she held her hands up to silence them, so she could speak.

"The Governor is dead." She said simply bringing a smile to both Michonne's and Merle's faces. "Hopefully I've dealt with it in a way that they won't figure out it was me, or anyone from our group and hopefully will forget about us."

Merle scoffed. "Not likely to forget about y'all. You shoulda heard them, heard what the Governor said 'bout you. They think _yer_ the aggressors, terrorists. Those people want blood."

"Maybe we can negotiate with them." Hershel suggested. "Give them our side of the story. With their leader gone, maybe they'll listen."

Abby considered for a moment, then nodded her head. "I watched them a little, they seemed to be turning to Andrea for leadership. I think she knows that at the very least, there's a misunderstanding."

"The everyday citizen of that town might be looking to her but I wouldn't be surprised if Martinez or one of the other boys will be making a push for power and they'll be inclined to attack y'all, cover their asses."

"So, you saw her?" Amy asked hopefully. "My sister, she's really okay?"

Abby nodded. "She's perfectly fine. I left her a letter claiming to be you, hopefully she doesn't notice the difference in our writing. I wrote that you were alive and well and that the Governor has been feeding her and the town lies. I told her what really happened to Michonne and what happened to Glenn and Maggie. Hopefully she gets it."

"Why do you have green paint on your face?" Beth asked looking at her funny as she bounced Judith in her arms.

"Oh." Abby said as she touched her face, she'd completely forgotten that she still had it on her face. "Camouflage. I was parked outside their walls for a while, or as Glenn would say, camped. It helps me blend in with the foliage."

"Haven't you ever seen them do that in movies?" Glenn asked as he smiled sheepishly, despite his bruised face.

"I didn't really watch a lot of tv or movies." Beth said with a shrug.

"So, what have you found out about our visitors?" Abby asked the group as Carol brought her a wet cloth for her to wipe off the paint from her face.

"The big guy's name is Tyrese, then there is his sister Sasha." Hershel responded. "Then there is Allen and his son Ben. Tyrese and Sasha seem like really good people, they had apparently lived in a dooms day prepper's bunker for the first while, then ran into Allan and Ben. They had a larger group at one point, he said over twenty at one point, now it's just the four of them."

"And what about Allan and Ben? What do you think about them?" Abby asked.

"Shifty." Glenn said immediately. "Especially the dad, there's something about them that doesn't feel right. They don't want to stay here anyways. I say, let them leave."

Abby nodded her head. "I'll talk to them in the morning. I'm starving, do we have anything to eat?"

Carol grabbed her arm and together they walked back into what had become their eating area. Abby nodded to Tyrese and his group as she followed Carol to a pot that still sat on their little stove. Carol dished out a bowl of stew for her then offered it to Abby.

"You should go easy on him." She said to Abby softly as she held out the bowl. "Daryl truly regrets his decision, he came back as soon as he realized his mistake."

Abby scoffed as she took the bowl. "Yeah well that took a whole day and he didn't seem to upset with leaving me in the first place." Abby said then turned to walk away but Carol grabbed her arm to stop her, as she looked at her sadly.

"You have to understand, Daryl thought he was protecting you by getting himself and Merle away from you." Carol whispered. "Remember that he came a very abusive situation, he has low self-worth and struggles in most social situations. That's why he doesn't express himself much outside of anger. He loves you!"

"So, I'm just supposed forgive and forget?" Abby whispered fiercely. "What about what he did to me? He broke my heart!"

"I know, I didn't say that you shouldn't be mad or upset with him, just…listen to what he has to say, okay? Give him a chance." She said softly then let go and walked back to the cells.

Abby took her food and decided it was better to eat it outside, so she could get some fresh air and a chance to think. She should have known that was a mistake. As she sat on the only bleacher that was sitting right side up, Daryl emerged alone from the cell block and walked over stand at the foot of the bleachers.

"Can we talk?" Daryl asked.

"Nope." Abby said as she shoved a spoonful of food into her mouth angrily.

"Babe, please." Daryl pleaded.

"Don't _babe_ me! You lost that right! Look, I haven't slept in over forty hours! I'm exhausted and I am hungry. I don't want to talk!" She yelled at him, then shoved another spoonful of food in her mouth.

Daryl looked like he was going to say something again, but decided against it as she glared at him. With a sigh, he turned and walked back inside. By the time she had finished eating her food, she had a hard time keeping her eyes open so she got up then went back inside, stopping briefly to drop her dishes in the communal washing area, then stumbled to her cell. As she entered, she looked around and noticed that there were things missing. Daryl's things.

She sighed unhappily as she flopped down on to her mattress. She had just started to doze off, when she heard footsteps stop in her doorway and she managed to open her eyes to see Rick standing in the doorway looking at her in concern.

"How's it going, Abigail?" He asked.

"Rick, I'm barely stayin' conscious here. Can you check on me in the morning?" She mumbled tiredly.

Rick smirked. "Alright, good night baby girl." He said as he picked up a blanket that was folded at the foot up her bed and draped it over her as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, it was nearly noon by the time she had finally awoke, although it was only because she was both hungry and her bladder was in desperate need of relief. Someone had left a plate of food for her in her room, so she picked it up as he head out the door and ate while walking to the designated bathroom area. When she was done with both tasks, she returned to the commons area to finally sit down with Tyrese and his group.

"I'm sorry about the last couple of days. We probably haven't left you with the best of impression's." Abby said as she sat down at the table that the group had gathered around.

Everyone must have been outside, or somewhere else in the prison because they were the only people she'd seen since waking up. Rick probably wouldn't like her approaching these people on her own, but she was more than capable of dealing with these four people. She understood now, what Glenn had meant about the father and son being shifty, she could see the two working out how they might over take her.

"From what I've put together from watching ya'll and the few things that have been said to us, I'm guessing that it was the man who pointed the gun at us, Rick, I'm guessing he just lost his wife." Tyrese explained. "The blonde girl suggested that the baby's mom had died. I know its hard to lose people you love. I might lose it a little if my sister died, I understand that much at least."

"Thank you for understanding." Abby said sincerely.

"The others, Hershel, that kid, they all seem like good people. You seem reasonable. We'd like to stay, if you'd let us." Tyrese stated.

" _Some_ of us want to stay, anyways, not all of us." Allan grumbled.

"Please don't think that I'm saying no, because I'm not but at this moment I'm unsure. You have to understand my hesitation. Last week we found five prisoners locked up in here. One tried to kill Rick outright when we were trying to help them and he even killed one of his own friends, the other tried to kill all of us, which resulted in the death of two of our people. One being Lori, the baby's mother and, yes, she was Rick's wife. We can't have something like that happen again." Abby informed them.

"Well they were prisoners, they were in here for a reason." Sasha said, speaking for the first time.

"You're right." Abby agreed "But not all of them turned out that bad. Axel and Oscar seem like good people, we also found some other good men out there but we've had some nasty encounters just finding this place."

"What can we do to prove that we don't mean any harm?" Tyrese asked earnestly.

Abby sighed and studied the big man in front of her. "I'm going to talk to the others once more, if they all agree, then you can stay."

"Thank you!" Tyrese said gratefully.

"Hold on!" Allan said frowning at Tyrese. "What if they say no?"

"Then you can leave, no worse for wear." Abby answered.

"Who's in charge anyway?" Ben asked.

"Ben!" Tyrese hissed.

"What?" Ben asked, frowning. "The kid said that Rick was in charge and the others seemed to agree. Then she waltz's in and suddenly she's in charge."

"Technically my brother _is_ in charge." Abby said with a sigh. "But he's emotionally compromised right now, so everyone is looking to me for now. I was a sergeant in the military, I'm used to handing out orders and organizing things."

"Wait, Rick's your brother?" Allan asked incredulously.

Abby tilted her head to the side and looked at him like he was something foreign. "Can't you tell? We've always been told how much we look alike. Plus, that shit I pulled would've never flown for anyone else. My brother has a serious soft spot for his baby sister."

Tyrese chuckled as he looked over his shoulder and Sasha. "I get that, although I don't think Sasha could've pulled that on me."

Abby grinned mischievously. "Most days, neither could I but he knows when I'm upset and even he won't mess with me when I'm in that kind of mood." Abby got up. "I'm going to go talk to everyone else, hopefully everything will be resolved by the end of the day."

When she got outside, should found most of the guys plus Michonne, out by the bus and pushing it towards the front gate. The nearest people she saw were Sophia, Carl as well as Beth holding Judith, all sitting together on the bleachers. When they saw her approaching, Carl and Sophia waved, shouting "Good morning!" At her as she walked up to where they sat.

Abby reached out her arms towards Beth, so she stood up to hand the baby over to her. Abby rocked Judith and stared reverently at the beautiful baby in her arms. She was saddened by the loss of Lori but she was happy that Judith was born perfectly healthy, if she had been born weak and sickly, she wondered what would have become of the tiny human.

Abby finally looked up at the trio again. "I just talked to Tyrese and his group, what do ya'll think of them?" She asked as she continued to rock Judith.

"I think they're good people, we should let them stay." Carl said immediately.

"And you Beth?" Abby asked.

"I think Tyrese and Sasha are good people but something about the other two don't sit well with me. A couple of times, when I went to get Judith some formula, the dad looked like he was thinking of how to take me hostage." Beth said shivering.

"And you, kiddo? Do you have an opinion?" She asked Sophia.

Sophia shrugged. "Momma didn't really want me any where's near any of them. I didn't want to get near them anyway, they scare me a little but then so do the other new people."

"Where is your momma, anyways?" Abby asked frowning. "Or Maggie and Amy, for that matter."

Beth pointed up to the skywalk. When Abby turned to look, she saw the three women lining pallets along the path, creating cover in case they got attacked. Abby walked up to the skywalk, baby still in her arms and called up to the three women.

"Can I talk to ya'll?" She asked.

"Sure, we'll be right down." Carol called back.

Abby paced the pavement, rocking and crooning to Judith while she waited. When they all came up to her, she smiled up at them.

"Good morning!" She greeted.

"You look rested." Maggie commented. "You looked ready to fall over when you arrived yesterday."

"Yeah, seriously. You looked ready to pass out at any second!" Amy agreed.

Abby chuckled. "Yeah well I was up for almost two days. Anyways, I was talking to you about our guests. I was wanting to know what ya'll thought of them."

"I agree with what Glenn said about Allan and Ben, they seem ten seconds away from stabbin' someone in the back. Sasha and Tyrese haven't been out in the wild for so long, so they haven't developed that cut throat, dog eat dog, mentality." Maggie said honestly.

"I think we should give them all a chance." Amy said. "I'm sure they're just behaving that way because they feel threatened. I'm sure once they feel safe, they'll mellow out."

Abby sighed. "Maybe. What do you think, Carol?"

"I don't trust any of them! I mean look at that Governor character! From what Merle and Michonne were saying, he was kind and friendly on the outside but a complete psychopath on the inside." Carol said. "Are you considering letting them stay?"

Abby nodded. "Considering it, yeah but I wanna know what everyone else thinks. I know Rick is still supposed to be in charge but I don't think he's quite stable enough to be able to make these kinds of decisions."

"I think we all agree with that assessment." Maggie agreed.

"Where is everyone?" Abby asked. "I talked to the teenagers already and I saw most of the guys down by the bus but I don't know where Rick or Hershel are."

"I saw Hershel talkin' to Rick through the fence down by the creek." Carol answered.

Abby frowned. "What's he doin' down by the creek?"

The three women shrugged. "He's been down there since first thing this morning." Amy said.

"I'll go talk to the others first, Rick might be…a challenge." Abby said with a sigh, then handed Judith over to Carol.

Abby walked down to the interior gate, stopped and sighed as she watched Daryl, Glenn, Oscar, Axel, Smith, Wilson and Michonne as they grunted with effort as they moved the bus slowly closer to the gate. She finally opened the gate and went down to where they worked, then waited for them to stop pushing.

"Hey ya'll!" She called to them. "Can I talk to you a moment?"

They all leaned heavily against the bus and looked at her. "I jus' wanted to know what ya'll thought of Tyrese and his people."

"We didn't have this much discussion with them." Daryl said indicating both the prisoners and the soldiers. "You can make this decision without our help." She knew he hadn't meant it maliciously but it still pissed her off.

"Well sorry I ain't Rick!" She said through gritted teeth, then held up a hand when he started to say more.

"Glenn? What about you?" She said ignoring Daryl completely.

Glenn glanced over at Daryl sympathetically, then back at Abby. "I already told you what I thought, did you talk to them?"

"Yeah. Tyrese seems like good people, so does Sasha but like you said the other two seem a little shifty." Abby answered.

"I'm pretty sure most of us feel the same. I think the only one you're gonna need to talk to, is your brother. He nearly shot them, after all! From what I understand, there was no reason for it either." Glenn said.

"He see's things." Michonne said simply. "His dead wife, other people he's lost."

"How do you know that?" Abby asked.

"Just from what I've been seeing. Saw him talking to no one a few times." Michonne said.

Abby cursed, then walked over to the gate, went through the first gate, then the man gate and walked towards where they had penetrated through the fence when they had first arrived. Abby was half way there when she heard Daryl calling her name, then felt him grab her shoulder and pull her to a stop.

She shrugged off his hand and glared at him. "What?" She asked.

"Abby, we really need to talk." Daryl said as he winced at her behavior towards him.

"About what? How you obviously don't feel how I do?" She growled out at him. "Obviously you just said all that shit, to keep gettin' into my panties."

"That ain't true at all!" Daryl said almost sounding insulted. "I never say something I don't mean and you know that!"

"Well you said you wanted to marry me but you then just walked off like I meant nothing to you!" She started shouting.

"It hurt like hell walking away like that!" He growled. "I figured you could do better than me, that you'd be happier an' better off with someone else. I figured everyone would be better off without me, that Merle was the only person who'd ever notice that I was gone."

"That's the next stupidest thing you've ever said!" She growled, some of the heat of her anger simmering down.

"I know…now." Daryl sighed. "I've been told my whole life that ain't worth nothin', first by my old man then by Merle. I have a hard time accepting that you might actually want or need me, that anyone would. Up until I met you, I believed that. I know I hurt you, babe, an' I am _so_ sorry for that. Just give me the chance an' I'll spend the rest of our lives making it up to you." Daryl stepped forward as he saw her deflate a little and put his hand on her face. "I _do_ love you!" He added softly.

Abby sighed and looked down. "I'll…I'll try but what you did, it cut me deeply. You're the love of my life and you just left!" She quickly dashed away a tear that started rolling down her cheek.

"I know but I came back an' I won't leave you ever again. Nothing can take me from you!" He pulled her against him and hugged her tightly.

Abby didn't pull away but was tense at first but after a moment, she melted against him and put her forehead against his neck. After a long moment, she finally pulled away wiping the tears from her eyes as she stepped back.

"I should go talk to Rick." She said

"'Kay." Daryl replied wincing as he stared at her tear stained face. "Just so you know, I think we should give 'em a chance. Didn't like havin' Axel and Oscar 'round much at first but they've turned out. Those people seem alright." He boldly kissed her forehead, then turned and went back into the yard.

Abby sighed and continued down the fence, drying her eyes and trying to get her mind back where it needed to be. When she came up to the break in the fence, she saw Rick staring at the small bridge reaching out like he was touching someone. Abby frowned as she watched him, he seemed slightly oblivious to his surroundings.

"Hey, Rick?" She called to him.

Rick whirled around and looked at her startled. He squinted at her for a moment like he wasn't sure she was real, then walked over to her. "What are you doing here, Abigail?" He asked her as he walked.

"To talk to you." She said simply as he finally came to a stop just a few feet away from her.

"About what?" He asked frowning. "About you and Daryl?"

Abby sighed. "No, I can handle my own relationships, thank you. You be nice to him! Our problems are _our_ problems, Daryl's an important part of this group and you _need_ him."

"He hurt you!" He said angrily.

"Yeah he did but that's _our_ problem to work out." She said firmly. "You didn't see me sticking my nose into your marital problems, did you?"

Rick winced and looked away. "I'm your older brother, I'm supposed to be looking out for you."

"Rick, I'm a grown woman. You need to focus more on takin' care of your kids than me. Carl just lost his momma and I know you lost her too but he needs you to help him." She said touching the hand that was holding on to the chain link.

Rick rubbed his face with his free hand. "I know, I've been failing in that department lately…and as a leader."

"You're not failing, just struggling a little." Abby said softly. "I can handle the leadership part for now, but only _you_ can be Carl's father."

"I know." He said so softly that she barely heard him.

"But that isn't what I came here to talk to you about." She said changing gears. "I wanna talk about our guests."

"I'm sorry I lost it on them, I just…saw..." Rick stopped and put his hands to his face.

"You saw Lori?" Abby asked.

"Yes, I know that sounds crazy but she's trying to tell me something." Rick said passionately.

"It's your subconscious trying to tell you something. She isn't real, you know that, right?" Abby studied his face carefully.

"I-I know." Rick sighed and rubbed his face. "I don't think I'm in any position to tell you what we should do with them. I'll trust you to make the right decision and I'll support it."

"So, if I say they can stay, you're not going to put a gun to their head again?" She asked.

Rick shook his head. "No, I promise you I won't."

"Alright then, why don't you come and talk to them with me, let them know they can stay. Maybe apologize for putting a gun to Tyrese's head?" Abby suggested. Rick looked behind him then back at her again. "Rick, you need to let her go, you need to forgive yourself. Please, come in side."

Rick looked back once more, then walked over to the break, undid the clasp on the wire that held the chain link together and came inside the fence line. She gave him a brief hug, then the two of them walked back to the cell block, together.

* * *

I'm kind of terrible at endings but I hope I ended it reasonably well. Thank you to all my readers who have stuck by me since the beginning and those who are still new to my little universe. I hope you've enjoyed reading my little story as much as I've enjoyed writing it!

-Shockra


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